


Daughter of The Arrow: New Beginnings

by QueenAllen1982 (DeansWinterRose)



Series: Daughter of the Arrow [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Daddy Oliver, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Family, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Family Issues, Family Secrets, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fatherhood, Hints at Possible love interest as series continues, Hints at possible couple as series continues, Jealousy, Male-Female Friendship, Oliver as a father, Possibly Unrequited Love, Protective Roy Harper, Secret Crush, Team as Family, Training, Unknown Child, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-06-13 22:28:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 72,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15374751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeansWinterRose/pseuds/QueenAllen1982
Summary: Alexandra Queen knew that being Oliver Queen’s illegitimate daughter wasn’t going to be easy, but being the daughter of the Arrow was….an adventure to say the least.All Lexy’s ever wanted is a family. Then she got the Queens.6 months after her father went missing, her mother died and she was forced to go live with them. Now, 4 ½ years later and she quickly figured out that this wasn’t what she bargained for.Her grandmother didn’t want anything to do with her. Her aunt was too busy rebelling and trying to recover from Oliver’sdeath. And her step-grandfather, well, he seemed to be the only one, besides the family maid, Raisa who cared about what happened to her.Then they got the news that Oliver Queen was still alive and that he’d be coming home. However, just like everything else in Lexy’s life her father wasn’t the man her mother described in her journals.Will Lexy finally get the family she’s always wanted? Will Oliver step up at all to be the father that his daughter needs? Will their budding relationship and love be the one thing that heals them both?





	1. The Story

* * *

 

* * *

**THE CAST**

**** **OLIVER QUEEN**

**FELICITY SMOAK**

**[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/159126548@N03/43637222542/in/dateposted-public/)ALEXANDRA 'LEXY/ALEXA' QUEEN, 11/12**

**JOHN DIGGLE**

**THEA QUEEN**

**ROY HARPER**


	2. Breaking News

**-September, 2012……**

 

“Okay, guys, you may go.”

11-year-old Alexandra Queen turned and walked to the bench. She sat down and took her kickboxing gloves off. She then took her shoes off and put both in her gym bag.

“Lexy.”

She looked up and smiled at her kickboxing coach. “Yes, sir?”

“Is someone picking you up tonight?”

Her face fell slightly. Was it bad that her coaches knew about her home situation? That they knew that her grandmother barely made an appearance to anything that she was a part of even after 4 ½ years. And that her aunt, who wasn’t that much older than her seemed to hate her guts? She pulled her cell phone out of her bag and looked at the caller ID. 8:45pm. “Uh…..yeah. My grandfather,” she answered.

The older man with the slightly graying hair smiled down at her. “Are you sure?”

She nodded. Truthfully, she was actually lying. Her grandfather, well, step-grandfather had meetings until late tonight and couldn’t get her. He had absently told her this morning to call the car service to drop her off at home. Knowing her aunt Thea she’d be just about heading out to whatever party or nightclub that was happening that night. And her grandmother would be in the home study doing paperwork, for what, she had no idea.

He smiled. “Okay, Lexy. Have a good night. I’ll see you Thursday.”

“See you Thursday,” she chorused. She put her tennis shoes on and picked up her bag. She headed out the door and looked around to see if there were anyone looking and then took off in the direction of Queen mansion.

Being a member of the Queen family wasn’t what she had hoped it would be when she was told that she’d be going to live with them. She hated the fact that she was all but ignored by the entire family pretty much. Sure Walter talked to her but that was usually twice a day—morning and at night around dinner time. Her grandmother and her aunt Thea ignored her. Raisa, the family’s maid and housekeeper was the one that seemed to want to know about her life and everything.

* * *

 

About 9:20pm that night, Lexy finally walked through the door and put her bag down by the stairs. She walked into the kitchen and smiled at Raisa. “Hello, Raisa.”

The older woman smiled and hugged her. “Miss Lexy. How was kickboxing class today?”

She nodded and sat at the island. “It was good. I did get my orange belt by the way.”

“Oh, Lexy! That’s fantastic,” she said with a huge smile and her Russian accent thick. She hugged the younger woman. “I’m proud of you!”

“Thanks, Raisa.” She smiled. “What was for dinner tonight?”

“Your favorite. Meatloaf.”

She smiled. “Cool.”

“Why don’t you go up and take a shower and I’ll bring it to you?”

She nodded. “That sounds like a plan,” she said and walked out of the kitchen. She picked up her bag at the stairs and started ascending the stairs. She stepped aside as Thea came down dressed to the nines for a night. “You look nice, Aunt Thea.”

“Thanks,” she muttered bitterly. She sniffed the air. “Why do you smell like sweat?”

“I was at kickboxing class,” she answered.

She shook her head and continued down the stairs. Lexy exhaled and headed to her room. She walked into the large room with the attached bathroom. She walked to the television and turned it on, keeping it on a local channel.

She hopped into the shower and did her thing.

* * *

 

15 minutes later, she was out and getting dressed as she vaguely listened to what was happening in the world for the day.

“ _Oliver Queen is alive_.”

Lexy froze in shock, her hands raised in mid-drying when she heard the 4 words she’d been wanting to hear for 4 ½ years. He was alive? She picked up her remote from her desk and turned it up.

“ _The Starling City resident was found by fishermen in the North China sea 5 days ago, 5 years after he was missing and presumed dead following the accident at sea which claimed, "The Queen's Gambit." Queen was a regular tabloid presence and a fixture at the Starling City club scene. Shortly before his disappearance, he was acquitted of assault charges stemming from a highly publicized drunken altercation with paparazzi. Queen is the son of Starling City billionaire Robert Queen, who was also on board but now officially confirmed as deceased_.”

Raisa walked into the room and seen the headline announcing Oliver’s return. “Ahh, I was waiting to tell you that.”

Lexy turned immediately to the older woman. “Is it true?! Did they find daddy?”

The dark haired woman smiled and touched the beautiful girl’s face. “Yes, it’s true. Mrs. Queen says that Mr. Oliver should be home tomorrow morning sometime.”

She felt like bouncing out of her skin she was so excited. _Oliver would never be happy to see you._ Hearing her aunt’s voice inside of her head had her crashing almost as quickly as she rose. “I’m glad,” she said sadly.

She sat the tray on the desk and looked at the blond. “Lexy, what is it?”

“I don’t know why I’m getting excited. Daddy doesn’t know anything about me and aunt Thea is probably right. She’s known him the longest.”

“Right about what, Lexy?”

She stepped into her closet and came out a couple of minutes later in her pajamas. “That daddy won’t be happy to see me or to even know I exist. I mean, according to mama’s journals she never told him about me because of the way he was back then, so….”

“Oh, Lexy,” she tried to soothe.

“Don’t, Raisa, please. I mind as well get used to the fact that I’m going to be one very lonely girl and just keep moving.”

“Lexy, there’s one thing your aunt Thea doesn’t know, that neither of us know, whether or not Mr. Oliver wanted children. He may be happy to know you exist that is a possibility.”

“Very slim one.” She threw herself back on the bed. “Grandma probably won’t even tell him about me. And then I’ll have to go through the whole shock and awe thing with him.” She pulled her fingers through her wet hair to get it out of her eyes. “I mean, mama even said that he probably wouldn’t even remember that they even had a thing and that he’d never remember her name. So, if he can’t remember my mother why would he want anything to do with me?”

Raisa wished there was something she could say to ease the young girl’s insecurities but with something like that it’d have to come from Oliver to do that. When he did come home he’d have a lot to deal with. Not just with healing himself but healing the little girl too.

She just hoped he was up for it and that he wouldn’t disappoint her. She smoothed a hand across her hair and kissed the top of her head. “Eat your dinner and then go to bed. You still got school in the morning despite your father coming home.” She walked to the door. “Remember to brush your teeth and turn the TV off, okay?”

“I promise,” she said and turned it to one of the cable news stations, which was reporting about her father too. She listened. She paused Live television and looked at the picture of her father that came up on the screen. She turned her head to see her reflection in her full-length mirror and looked at her features compared to her father’s.

Would he be able to see that she was his daughter? And once he knew would he even care or would he allow her to continue to be raised by his parents? She knew in her imaginary world of when her father was discovered to be alive and he found out she existed he stepped up and became the parent that she needed and always wanted. However, she knew that if Thea was correct that imaginary world was going to be just that.

She pressed play and caught the program up to current events they were reporting about now. There was no use on dwelling about it now. She sat down at her desk and began to eat as the news played in the background.

By the time she had finished her dinner she had decided that whatever happened tomorrow she wasn’t going to let it bother her now. Right now, she was going to do what Raisa said and go to bed for school tomorrow.

Because as it was famously said, ‘Tomorrow’s another day’.


	3. The Prodigal Son Returns

“ _The name of the island they found me on is Lian Yu. It's mandarin for "purgatory". I've been stranded here for 5 years. I've dreamt of my rescue every cold black night since then. For 5 years, I have had only one thought, one goal... survive... (man removes his hood and shows his face) survive and one day return home. [Fishing Boat] (one of the fishermen hands the man water to drink) The island held many dangers. To live, I had to make myself more than what I was, to forge myself into a weapon. I am returning not the boy who was shipwrecked but the man who will bring justice to those who have poisoned my city. My name is Oliver Queen_.”

 

Oliver Queen stared out at the nightly skyline, while outside his room, his mother Moira Queen talked to the doctor. “20% of his body is covered in scar tissue. Second-degree burns on his back and arms. X-rays show at least 12 fractures that never properly healed.”

She turned to look at the doctor. “Has he said anything about what happened?”

“No. He's barely said anything.”

She looked back at her son.

“Moira, I'd like you to prepare yourself. The Oliver you lost...might not be the one they found.”

She opened the door and walked inside the room. “Oliver.”

Oliver turned. “Mom.”

They both walk toward each other. “Oh...my beautiful boy,” she said tearfully and they hugged.

* * *

 

**-Queen Mansion…..**

 

Lexy watched as the black town car pulled up around the curved driveway. She anxiously held her breath as she watched him step out. He looked as handsome as her mother’s photos, a little older, but she could still see the 16-year-old boy there. She watched him until she was discovered and then she quickly closed the curtain, her heart hammering hard in her chest. She snatched up her phone and dialed her best friend. “Hey.”

“Hey, Lex. What’s up? No, Hunter, that’s disgusting. I hate this show!”

“He’s here,” she announced to her best friend, Taylor Hansen. “He’s home.”

“Oh! Is he as good looking as he was in your mom’s pictures and on TV?”

She rolled her eyes. At 11, her best friend was already boy-crazy. And apparently she had a crush on her father. “Eww, Taylor! That’s gross!”

She laughed. “Have you talked to him yet? Did he remember your mother?”

“No, I haven’t talked to him.” She sighed. “I’m scared.”

Taylor sat back against the cushions. She knew what this was about they had talked about it that day at school. Lexy was afraid to meet her father in fear that he wouldn’t want anything to do with her. She tried to reassure her that it was going to be an adjustment for everyone, but Lexy’s aunt hadn’t helped much. Telling her the crap about Oliver’s not going to be thrilled to have her around. “Lex, we talked about this. As you said, your father has never met you, so you don’t know how he’s gonna react. I agree with Raisa, you may make him happy with knowing you’re his daughter.”

“Or Aunt Thea’s right and he won’t want anything to do with me and I’ll be stuck being raised by the grandmother from Hell.”

“Well, there is that, but, tell you what. Give your dad a month, if you haven’t seen some kind of improvement from the guy toward you, then we’ll worry about it then. And I mean ‘we’, Lex. Although, I think you’re worrying about nothing.”

Lexy exhaled slowly as she heard Thea’s door shut. “Should I go down with Aunt Thea or should I wait for dinner when Tommy gets here.”

“Tommy’s gonna be there?”

Everyone knew Tommy Merlyn. He was the only son of millionaire, Malcolm Merlyn. He was also her father’s best friend. “Yeah, Tommy and dad were best friends.”

* * *

 

Downstairs, Oliver released his sister and looked at his mother. “Who’s the little girl I saw in the window?”

“What little girl?” Moira and Thea evaded.

“The blond little girl that was watching me intently until she noticed that I saw her. Who is she? Where is she?”

Moira glanced at her husband and then at her son. She exhaled. “That’s your daughter.”

He stiffened in automatic response to her answer. “My…..my….daughter?”

They nodded. Moira looked at her son, took his hands. “She’s eleven years old. Her name’s Alexandra Olivia Queen. Her mother’s Janine Bradshaw. You remember the Bradshaws, right? Old friends of your father and me?”

He nodded slowly. “I remember Janine, yes.”

“Well, apparently the fall of 2000 is when you and Janine—”

“Mom, I’m absolutely aware of when I had sex with her.” He looked over his shoulder. “Can I see her?”

Moira smiled stiffly. “Of course. Alexandra,” she called up.

Oliver heard a door from somewhere upstairs close and he heard soft footsteps. The petite girl stopped at the first landing and looked down at him. She was wringing her hands nervously as she watched him. “Hello, Alexandra.”

She slowly descended the stairs and stood in front of her father. “Hello,” she said softly, then looked at the floor.

He couldn’t help the smile. He tilted her chin to look her the eyes. He immediately knew she was his—if she had any doubts—because she had his eyes. “Hello, Alexandra. It’s nice to meet you.”

She gave him a shy smile as she nervously cuffed her elbow. “Nice to meet you too, uh…..da—”

Moira’s clearing of her throat made her jerk slightly and she pulled herself together. “Nice to meet you too, Sir.”

Oliver looked in his mother’s direction, then back at his daughter. “I’m gonna go up and get ready for dinner, okay?”

She looked at him a little perplexed, but she nodded. “I have to finish a book report, so…..” she stiffly turned on her heel and quickly went upstairs.

Raisa looked from Mrs. Queen to Walter and since no one was going to tell the girl, she piped up. “Lexy.”

“Yes, Raisa?” she turned and looked at the older woman.

“Dinner’s in a half an hour. Mr. Merlyn will be here in about twenty.”

She nodded. “Thank you.” She gave a curt nod to dismiss herself. “Excuse me.”

She quickly went upstairs and shut the door behind her. She then slid down the door and ran her hands through her hair. Who knew someone’s very existence could make someone hate them so much. She hated living here. She hated being a Queen. She remembered her mother’s friend’s words as she put her on the plane to come here. _They’re good people. You’ll like being a Queen. You’re the extension of the son and brother they lost so they’ll welcome you._

Neither of those things had happened. She was inconsolable within moments as she sobbed. She didn’t understand what she had done, except exist that angered them so much and made them feel the way they did toward her.

* * *

 

She knew 20 minutes had passed when she heard, “What did I tell you? Yachts suck.” He chuckled.

She stood and checked herself in the mirror and then walked out to see her father embracing his best friend.

“Tommy Merlyn.”

“I missed you, buddy.”

She descended the stairs and started for the dining room, trying to go undetected.

“Lexy.”

She immediately spun and stared at her father. After a few moments, she replied, “Yes, sir?”

“Have you met your—”

“We’ve met,” Tommy told him.

Oliver looked at him a little confused. Why did everyone insist on dismissing her like this?

“Excuse me,” she said softly and walked into the dining room.

Oliver and Tommy walked into the dining room when Lexy was saying to Moira, “Um….Saturday I have a class to make up for the one I’m missing tonight.”

Her grandmother gave her a dismissive nod. Oliver looked down at her. “You’ve got a class you’re missing?”

She nodded. “It’s not school,” she answered. “It’s—”

“She takes karate, kickboxing and gymnastics,” Thea said bitterly.

He smiled softly. “Really?”

She nodded. “My grandfather got me started on the karate when I was younger, but the kickboxing is something my mother started with me and I’ve just kept going. While the gymnastics, well…..”

“That’s enough,” Moira said and waved a hand at everyone. “Let’s eat.”

She looked at the placement of the plates and realized that she was ‘alone’ even at the family table. Which always happened. She pulled out the chair and began to slide in.

“Lexy, move your plate down here a little.”

She stopped in mid-slide. “Wha—what?” she asked her father.

“Come sit by me, please?”

She looked at her father for a moment and then glanced at her grandmother. Oliver watched a look pass between them and then Lexy said, “No, that’s okay. I’m alright.”

“Please?” he insisted.

She turned her head and watched him for a moment. Did his presence here now make her grandmother’s authority toward her null and void? She picked up her plate and glass and slid down the table a little. She gave him one of his smiles and he smiled back.

“Thank you.”

Everyone ate in silence for a few moments and then Oliver broke the silence by asking Lexy something, “So, um….Lex, what happened to your mother?”

She swallowed her water and gave her father eye contact. “She, uh, died in a plane crash almost five years ago.”

“Really?” he asked a little surprised.

She nodded. “Yeah. I came to live here about six months after you had disappeared.”

“I’m sorry.”

She shrugged. “It’s hard, but I’m adjusting.” She cut some of the pot roast and ate it.

Knowing when to expertly change the subject, Tommy said, “Ok. What else did you miss? Super bowl winners... Giants, Steelers, Saints, Packers, Giants again. A black president, that's new. Oh, and "Lost," they were all dead...I think.”

“What was it like there?”

The table goes silent except for Lexy who had apparently choked on her water while the room filled with tension.

“Cold,” he responded, but Thea wasn’t believing it.

Again, Tommy expertly changed the subject. “Tomorrow, you and me, we're doing the city. You've got a lot to catch up on.”

“That sounds like a great idea.”

“Good. Then I was hoping to swing by the office.”

Walter was about to take a sip from his wine when Oliver announced that. “Well, there's plenty of time for all that. Queen Consolidated isn't going anywhere.”

Raisa had walked over to put a bowl of fruit on the table. She trips but Oliver catches her and restores her balance.

“Oh, I am so sorry, Mr. Oliver.”

Oliver reassures her in Russian that it’s okay. Everyone at the table is shocked.

“Dude, you speak Russian?”

“I didn't realize you took Russian at college, Oliver.”

“I didn't realize you wanted to sleep with my mother, Walter,” he countered.

Silence filled the room, the tension returned. Moira looked from Oliver, to Lexy, then Thea and then back at Lexy.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“I didn’t either,” Lexy replied.

“She didn't have to. Neither of them did.”

Moira nodded in acknowledgement. “Oliver...Walter and I are married, and I don't want you to think that either one of us did anything to disrespect your father.”

“We both believed that Robert, like you, was, uh, well, gone.”

Lexy looked at her father. He looked upset. “It's fine.” He stood, but remembering his manners he asked, “May I be excused?”

Moira nodded.

“Hey, don't forget about tomorrow, buddy.”

Oliver looked at Lexy. “When you get done eating, I’d like to talk to you, please?”

She nodded. “Okay.”

Moira waited until he was out of earshot before glaring at Lexy. “I’m disappointed in you, Alexandra.”

“Wha—what?” she asked a little flabbergasted. But she knew what this was about. Her grandmother was no going to light into her about allowing herself to be acknowledged. There was something about Lexy’s actual acknowledgement that drove her grandmother to act like this. She bowed her head. “I’m sorry.”

Raisa watched as the little girl shrank within herself yet again and her heart shattered. She knew all Lexy wanted was to be acknowledged as a member of the Queen family and as Oliver’s daughter. She had expressed to her many times that she doubted it would happen because they were all embarrassed by the fact that she was made during one of Oliver’s playboy excursions. While everyone finished their meal in silence, Raisa snuck off for a moment.

She went upstairs to Oliver’s room and knocked. “Mr. Oliver?”

“Yes, Raisa,” he said coming out of the bathroom, ready for bed.

She walked into the room and stopped, closing the door behind her. “This may be wrong of me to say, but I need to say it, so if I’m out of line—”

“Just say it, Raisa.”

“Are you at all planning on taking any responsibility for Lexy?”

“Excuse me?”

She sighed. “Like I said, it may be out of line, but your mother is currently downstairs informing your beautiful daughter that she’s a disappointed in her.”

“What? Why?”

She shrugged. “I don’t really know. I do know what she’s told me because apparently, Mrs. Queen has told her, but….”

“Say it,” he immediately said.

“That she’s embarrassed that she even exists because of how she exists. Something about one of your playboy—”

His heart dropped. True, he knew it would be an adjustment to figure out how to do everything he wanted to do now that he was home and taking care of his daughter, but he never thought….. “Thank you, Raisa.”

“You’re welcome, Mr. Oliver.” She sighed again. “That little girl has been dying to meet you since she came here. Thanks to your sister, she believes you won’t want anything to do with her. Just like they don’t.”

He knew that look. That was her ‘don’t disappoint me’ look. He smiled. “Thank you, Raisa.”

He waited for her to leave before moving. He walked to his large walk-in closet and walked to the back of it. He reached up and pulled down a square box. He walked to the bed and sat down. By the looks of it, it wasn’t gone through so everyone more than likely figured it was a box of photos or a sweater or something.

He opened the lid and smiled down at the photos. He had always made his encounter with Janine to seem like it was just a one-night thing. However, he and Janine were the only ones who knew the truth. Truth was they were in a relationship, true it didn’t last as along as he and Laurel had, but it was long enough to accumulate memories. Memories he had a feeling that their best memory would love to know about.

He pulled out the photo he was looking for and smiled down at it affectionately. It was the day he had held her in his arms. It was about 2 weeks after she was born and he had snuck off to her family’s summer home to see her. He placed the picture back in the box and then put the lid on it.

He heard the door across the hall close and knew that his daughter wasn’t going to come see him like he had asked. Probably because of whatever his mother had said to her. He picked up the box and walked across the hall to her room. He knocked and waited.

Nothing.

He knocked again. “Lexy?”

Again, nothing.

He slowly opened the door. “Lexy?”

His heart thudded hard in his chest when he heard her crying. “Lexy?”

“What?” she asked, muffled.

He closed the door behind him and walked to her bed. He had no idea how to comfort her, but he touched her shoulder. “Lexy?”

She sighed and looked up. “Yes?”

“You okay?”

She nodded. “Oh, I’m fine.” She seen the box as he sat it in front of her. “What’s this?”

He smiled. “Open it and find out.”

She sat up, opened the top and looked inside. She gasped when she seen the pictures. “It’s you and mama!”

He nodded. “Lex, can I tell you something?”

She nodded, looking at the pictures in awe.

“I knew about you before you were born.”

She froze in surprise. “You-You-You-You did?”

He nodded. “In fact, your mom and I made a deal with one another. I picked your first name and she picked your middle name. I picked Alexandra because I liked the meaning of it: ‘Defender of Mankind’. It sounded like something I believed a Queen and a Bradshaw could do.”

She laughed and wiped her tears. “Why didn’t I ever see you?”

“Because…..” he sighed. “That’s complicated, but I guess you’d know better than anyone.” He exhaled. “As a Queen I’m expected to be a lot of things, a teenage father isn’t one of them. And I knew as long as I kept you secret then I could see you any time I wanted.” He smoothed a hand over her blond hair. “In fact, I saw you before I went on the yacht.” He smiled, laughing. “You made me promise to take you on the yacht when—”

“When you got back,” she said, her memories coming back. Why would she forget something like that?

He smiled. “You remember.”

She looked at her dad. “You don’t have to fulfill that promise anymore, daddy.”

He had to admit he liked hearing her call him that. He laughed. “Thank you, Lexy.” He looked at her nightstand and seen her cell phone. “Can I have your number?”

She nodded. She held out her hand for his phone. She took it and put in her number and then kept it for a few more minutes. After a few minutes, she handed it back.

“What did you do?”

“I put my schedule in your calendar app. School starts, my classes and when my next meets and competitions are.” She shrugged. “You don’t have to feel obligated to do anything, but in case you do…..”

He smiled and kissed her forehead. “Thank you. See you in the morning.”

She nodded. “See you in the morning,” she said.

***************

The next day, both Thea and Lexy were home from school. Thea and Margo were in her room while Lexy was in hers getting her homework done. Oliver stopped in to talk to Thea when Tommy showed. After they left, and after Tommy asked if Oliver had seen how hot Thea was, he stopped and went down the hall a little more.

“What are you doing?”

“Letting Lexy know that I’m leaving,” he answered.

“Why?”

“Because.” He knocked. “Hey, Lex?”

“Yeah, daddy?”

He smiled. “I’m taking off with Tommy. Text me if you need anything.”

She nodded. “Okay.” She smiled. “Don’t get into too much trouble. I don’t think I can bail you out.”

He laughed. He walked into the room and kissed her forehead. “See you later.”

She nodded. “Bye. Have fun, dad.”

* * *

 

A few hours later, Lexy heard the commotion from all the way up in her room and looked out the window. She saw her dad and Tommy walking in with Detectives Hilton and Lance behind them. She put her cell phone back to her ear. “Shelb, let me call you back.” She hung up, put her phone on the desk and rushed downstairs. She slowed as she was about to enter the living room. “Daddy, what’s with the detectives—” her words halted on her tongue when she realized her grandparents were there. “Oh, I’m sorry. Excuse me.”

Oliver turned a glare to his mother and then moved his eyes to his daughter. “Lexy, please stay.”

Detectives Lance and Hilton looked at him kind of surprised. “You’re a father?”

He nodded. He looked at his mother and then at the detectives. “You haven’t met her?”

Hilton shook his head. “No, I don’t believe we have.”

He smiled. “Lexy, this is detectives Lance and Hilton. Detectives, my daughter Alexandra.”

She put her hands behind her back and nodded. “Nice to meet you, detectives.” She smiled at Lance. “You’re Laurel’s father, right?”

He nodded. “Do you know my daughter?”

“Um….during the summers I volunteer at CNRI,” she admitted. “She’s always been really nice to me, despite whatever history she and daddy have together.” She arched disapproving brow to the detective. “And I’m getting the sense you don’t like him much either.”

Oliver smirked, clearing his throat to hide the laugh. “Lexy. I used to date Laurel and his daughter Sara was on—”

“Oh!” she exclaimed softly. “Sara was on the yacht!” She covered her mouth. “I’m sorry. That was extremely inappropriate.” She held up her hands. “Please, forgive me, detective.”

For some reason he couldn’t stop smiling. “It’s okay, Alexandra. Thank you. Nice to meet you.”

“You too, sir,” she said and quickly exited, but not before mouthing to her father another apology.

Hilton smiled. “Beautiful daughter, Mr. Queen.”

“Thank you. It’s all from her mother.”

They continued their meeting and then the detectives left. Moira looked at Tommy and her son. “Excuse me, I have to go talk to my granddaughter.”

“No,”

“Excuse me?” she asked turning.

“Leave Lexy alone, mom,” he told her. “She didn’t do anything wrong. Just because you don’t want to acknowledge her doesn’t mean I won’t.” He walked toward the archway, but looked over his shoulder. “I may just put an announcement in the papers announcing the fact that Oliver Queen is a father.”

* * *

 

The next morning as Oliver and Lexy walked out the door so that he could take her to school, Moira stopped them. “Oliver. I want to introduce you to someone... John Diggle. He'll be accompanying you from now on.”

“I don't need a babysitter,” he countered.

“Darling, Oliver's a grown man and a father. And if he doesn't feel he needs armed protection—”

“Yeah, I understand, but this is something I need.”

Oliver agreed. She smiled. “Thank you. I’ll take Alexandra to school—”

“No,” Oliver told her. “I promised her I would do it.” He looked at Lexy. “Come on, Lex. I wanna introduce you to my new bodyguard.”

They stopped in front of the tall African-American man. “Lexy, this is John Diggle. Mr. Diggle, my daughter, Alexandra.”

Lexy fought back the smirk when she heard her grandmother having a freak out behind her. She held out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Diggle.”

He smiled and knelt down to her level. “You too, Alexandra. You can call me Dig.”

She smiled. “Thank you. You can call me Lexy.”

She got into the car with her dad and they drove toward her school. Dig looked through the rearview mirror at Oliver. “Will we be picking her up?”

“No. Lexy’s got gymnastics after school.”

About ten minutes later, they dropped her off outside her school and after Oliver said his goodbyes to her, they were on the road again. They sat in silence for a moment before Oliver broke it. “I want to talk to you seriously for a moment.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Make me a promise, okay?”

“Sir?”

“Protect my daughter. I don’t want any harm to come to her, Mr. Diggle.”

He nodded. “I promise, sir.”

After a few more minutes he asked, “So...What do I call you?”

“Diggle's good. Dig if you want.”

“You're ex-military?”

“Yes, sir. 105th airborne of of Kandahar, retired. Been in the private sector a little more than 4 years now. I don't want there to be any confusion, Mr. Queen. My ability to keep you from harm will outweigh your comfort. Do we have an agreement?”

There was no response.

“Sir?”

Diggle looked behind him, no one is there.

* * *

 

That night, Oliver got ready for his welcome home party and shot Lexy a text. **Oliver: Heading to my party. I’ll see you in the morning. Be careful walking home.**

Seconds later, there was a ping on his phone. He looked at the message:

**Lexy: Have fun tonight, daddy. I won’t be walking home. Taylor’s mom is giving me a ride. See you in the morning. Love you, daddy.**

He couldn’t stop the soaring of his heart at the sound of ‘Love you, daddy’ from her. He walked out of his room and out of the house. He got into the car to go to the party and Dig was in the backseat with him.

* * *

 

Lexy walked through downtown and followed the music to the biggest event in town at that moment. Her father’s welcome home party. She walked up to the door guy and smiled. “Hi.”

“Hi. Name?” he yelled over the music.

“Alexandra Queen, but I’m not on the list, sir.”

“Then I’m sorry, you’ll have to go.”

“But I need to talk to my dad.”

“Who’s your father?”

“Oliver.”

He laughed. “Right. Go away, Little Girl.”

She sighed. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Dig’s number.

No answer. She tried again, still no answer.

She sighed and dialed her father’s number, but she didn’t get an answer either. She exhaled hard and started walking again. As she walked she wondered if it would always be like this when he was out with Tommy. She sighed again and pulled out her phone.

She dialed dad again, this time she left a message. “Hey, daddy. It’s me. This is my third time trying to call you.” She looked at the display on her phone. “It’s ten-twenty at night. Um…..I know I said Taylor’s mom was going to give me a ride home, but apparently she got busy at work and sent Taylor’s older brother to pick her up after practice. So…..I am now walking home. I wanted to let you know that I stopped by your party, but the door guy wouldn’t let me in. See you when you get home. Love you.”

She walked home and walked to her room. She got into her pajamas and got into bed. As she began to fall asleep she couldn’t help but wonder how big of a setback this was going to be for them.


	4. Honor Thy Father

It’d been a week since Oliver’s return and a week since 11-year-old Alexandra Queen got her father back. Within that time, they talked and everything but it wasn’t like she had imagined her relationship with her father going, but she guessed it was a step in the right direction.

Now, she was standing in her room trying on a half-dozen dresses and modeling them for her grandmother downstairs to see if it would be appropriate for the photo op she wanted. Today was her father’s proof of life declaration and Moira Queen figured since she could no longer hide her granddaughter, then she would look the way she wanted her to.

Now, in a sage green dress she walked downstairs barefoot. She walked into the living room right behind her father. She stepped away from him and spun around. “How about this one?”

The idea of going to this thing didn’t sound fun anymore.

“Oh, Alexandra,” she said, her voice filled with disappointment.

She exhaled. Why couldn’t she ever do anything right with this woman? “I’ll go get changed.”

She turned and smiled at her father as she walked out.

“Morning,” he greeted.

“Morning, daddy,” she said mournfully. “Excuse me.”

Oliver looked at his mother and then back his daughter. He caught up to her, “Alexandra.”

She kept walking but stopped when he took her hand. She sighed. “What daddy?”

“Are you okay?”

She shrugged, evading the question.

“Lexy, please.”

She sighed. “I can’t seem to do anything right in this house. Or with grandmother….or actually everyone. I’ve become a burden to everyone.”

“Not to me,” he admitted. “I’ve enjoyed having you here.”

“Yeah, but daddy, I may be legally yours but it seems that grandma is still ‘raising’ me. I don’t mean to be a burden and I’m sorry if knowing I’m here has ruined whatever, but it’s not my fault you never said anything and it’s not my fault my mom died.”

He nodded and knelt to her level. “You’re right. It’s not your fault. I’m sorry you’ve felt that way, but it’s not true. You’re a child. **_My_** child.” He pulled her into a hug and kissed her head. “I’ll fix it, I promise.”

“R-R-R-R-R-Really?”

He smiled and nodded. “Do you see the color of my suit?”

She nodded. “That was the first dress I tried on, but she said it wasn’t—”

He shook his head. “No. Go put it on again. I wanna see it.” He waited until she was in her room before going back into the living room. “I expected you to take care of her, mom.”

“What?”

“My daughter.”

She waved him off. “You don’t know the first thing about raising children—”

“Doesn’t matter, mother. She’s my daughter.” He exhaled. “I’ve decided something. I’m having your guardianship nullified. As you’ve said, I have responsibilities now, well, I’m taking hold of them. From now on she’s my responsibility, are we clear?”

She gave a curt nod. “Crystal.”

“Do you have any questions about today, Oliver?” Walter asked. “It's a simple proof-of-life declaration.”

Moira stands up and Walter straightens his suit jacket.

“Just read out a brief, prepared statement to the judge, and then your death-in-absentia judgment will be voided.”

“It's fine, Walter, I've been in a courtroom before.”

Tommy entered the room. “Four times by my estimate. You know, there was the DUI, the assault on that paparazzi douchebag, stealing that taxi, which was just awesome, by the way, and who could forget peeing on the cop?”

“I wish everyone would.”

“You peed on a cop?”

Oliver turned and smiled at his gorgeous little girl. “Yes, Lexy, I did. That was a long time ago.” He smiled bigger. “You look beautiful.” He looked at Tommy. “I'd hang, but we're headed to court.”

“I know, that's why I'm here. My best friend is getting legally resurrected, I wouldn't miss this for the world.”

“Right. Okay,” he muttered. He looked at Thea. “What about you?”

“Oh, I think the first four times of you in court was enough for me.”

“Fair enough.”

Thea walked out.

* * *

 

When they pulled up to the courthouse, Oliver noticed the paparazzi and looked at Lexy. “I want you to stick by me, got it?”

She nodded. “Okay.”

He stepped out of the car and held out a hand to Lexy. She immediately took it and eased out of the car herself. Keeping her hand firmly in Oliver’s they pushed through the hoard of photographers and reporters.

Once inside, Lexy sat with Walter, Moira and Tommy as Oliver told the judge about what had happened when the yacht sunk. By the time he had finished, she was teary-eyed and one had slipped down her cheek.

The judge granted the declaration and dismissed the room. Oliver looked at the family’s attorney and said, “When you have time I’d like to talk to you about getting my daughter’s guardianship nullified.”

“Nullified?” she asked.

He nodded. “I’m legally and biologically her father. I know Janine put me on the birth certificate I’ve seen it and signed it.”

The woman stopped. “Are you saying you knew about the birth of your daughter?”

He nodded. “I did. I want to raise my child. With me home there’s no reason for my mother to do it any longer.”

She nodded. “Okay, Oliver. Whenever you’re ready I’ll have the papers drawn.”

“Thank you.”

He walked through the gallery and took Lexy’s hand. “Come on.”

He, Tommy and Lexy walked out. Moira looked her shoulder at him. “Okay, now, after we drop off Alexandra we’ll head to the offices—”

“But I wanted to go see—”

Moira shot her a look and Lexy immediately quieted. Oliver looked at his mother. “Lexy can come with us, but mom, do you think we can do that tomorrow? That was a lot heavier than I expected.”

There was a momentary pause and then Moira agreed. “Of course.”

“Thank you.”

Walter and Moira left soon after. While Diggle waited for Tommy, Oliver and Lexy. They rounded the corner to walk out and almost literally bumped into Laurel. “I….hi.”

“Hi,” Tommy said.

Lexy looked from her dad to Laurel and back. She smiled. “Hi, Miss Lance.”

Laurel looked down at the beautiful blond. “Hi, Lexy. How are you?”

She nodded. “I’m good.”

Laurel looked back at Oliver. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, uh, they were bringing me back from the dead. Legally speaking.”

What are you doing here?

Laurel: My job.

Oliver: Right.

Lawyer: More like the D.A.'s.

Oliver extends his hand to Emily, standing to the right of Laurel. Oliver: Hi, Oliver Queen.

Emily shakes his hand. Emily: Emily Nocenti.

Laurel: Oliver just got back from five years on an uncharted island. Before that, he was cheating on me with my sister. He was with her when she died. And last week, he told me to stay away from him. It was really good advice. Excuse me. Laurel walks past Oliver and Tommy.

Emily: It was nice to meet you.

Lexy looked up at Laurel and then her dad. “Daddy, can I say something, please?”

“What, Lex?”

“Miss Lance.”

Laurel turned and walked back down the stairs. “Yes, Lexy?”

“Excuse my….what’s the word?”

“Bluntness?” Tommy supplied.

She smiled and nodded. “Yes, thank you!” She looked at Laurel. “I would like to say that was wrong to say in front of me. There’s parts of daddy’s life I don’t need to know about. However, I know, I don’t know you well, but um, I do remember you and Tommy both telling me stories about you, daddy and him growing up. And I thought they were some of the greatest stories I’d ever heard. I know, what daddy did was horrible and I’m not even going to assume that I know what it feels like. But I do know what it feels like to lose someone I loved. You don’t know this, but my mother died in a plane crash almost five years ago. And I can tell you this if I could, I’d give anything to have her here.”

She smiled down at the little girl. “What’s your point, Lexy?”

“I remembered hearing you and Tommy both say you wish he was still here. Well, he’s here. So, why are you being so mean? I mean, even detective Lance is acting that way. I understand better than anyone the anger you’re going through, but, ma’am, if he was such a good friend, then why aren’t you happy to have him around?”

“Lexy,” Oliver said softly. “Let’s go, Sweetheart.”

She caught up to her father. “Are you mad?”

He looked at Diggle and Tommy and then knelt down to Lexy. “There’s nothing about what you said that made me angry. I appreciate that you went to bat for me like that. Thank you, but you didn’t need to do that.”

Diggle got them outside and to the car. Oliver swiftly put Lexy inside and then he slid in too. He moved up front and then peeled out away from the curb. He smiled when he heard Lexy giggling in the backseat. “What’s so funny?”

“That was fun!” she laughed.

He laughed. “You hungry?”

“A little.”

* * *

 

That night at home, Lexy eavesdropped on the lecture Moira was giving Diggle. She heard the door open and quickly walked to him. “Grandmother is giving Dig….”

“For what?” he whispered.

“Because we ditched him and Tommy at the courthouse.”

He nodded. “Thank you.” He quickly walked into the room. “And he really doesn’t,” he said and Lexy went upstairs.

After he finished reassuring his mother that Dig was staying and talking to Thea, he went upstairs. He knocked on Lexy’s door. “Hey.”

“Hey, daddy!”

His smile brightened. “Doing homework?”

She nodded. “Yeah, it’s my part in a project.” She looked him up and down. “You going out?”

He shook his head. “I just haven’t changed since court.” He knelt down in front of her. “Tomorrow I want you to go to school okay?”

She nodded. “I planned on it. You gonna drop me off or is Mr. Dig going to do it?”

“I will. Then I’m going with grandma to the office.”

Lexy’s blue eyes narrowed as she studied her father. “Is something going to happen tomorrow, daddy?”

He nodded. “It is. Besides that I’m going to sign every paper possible to make it known you are my daughter, I’m also going to the offices to tell grandma I can’t take over the business.”

She smiled and then grimaced. “Good. I couldn’t see you doing the whole corporate takeover thing.”

He laughed. “Me neither.”

“So, what do you wanna do?”

“Um….open a nightclub.”

She smiled. “Oh, that’s cool!”

He smiled. It was nice to have her support, but he had a feeling she’d support him either way. “Do you have homework?”

“Not really. The project isn’t due until next Friday, why?”

He smiled. “Twenty minutes. My room. And you can help me catch up on all the movies I missed since I’ve been away.”

She nodded. “Okay. I’m gonna get in my pajamas and pop some popcorn.”

He nodded. “Sounds good. My bedroom, twenty minutes, Lexy-O.”

She smiled. He left and she got ready for the mini-movie night.

* * *

 

The day at the office didn’t go well, Oliver let it be known that he didn’t want a leadership role within the company. The next morning, Thea discovered the scars on Oliver and then took him to where there were headstones for him and their father. Oliver was the first to notice that Lexy was knelt in front of them talking and pulled Thea back. “Wait.”

“She’ll move. She always does.”

He kept his grip on her. “Thea.”

She rolled her eyes. “Why do you care about some illegitimate—”

“Stop,” he told her. “Whether you like it or not, she’s a Queen just like you are. She’s my daughter. I’ve known about her from the beginning.”

“But….how?”

“Janine told me. We kept her a secret from this family because of mom and dad’s views on illegitimate children. Now, I don’t like the way you’ve been treating her. She’s not invisible or a maid or anything else you think of her. She a person. A little girl, my little girl. And if I mean anything to you at all you will show my daughter the same respect you show me. Understood?”

She nodded. He nodded too and then walked toward Lexy. “Lexy, honey, what are—”

“Daddy!” she quickly stood and backed away. “Sorry.” She started to stumble away. “So sorry.” She looked at Thea. “Sorry.”

She was acting like a whirlwind and wouldn’t stop. He exhaled and said, “Alexandra Olivia Queen, I said stop.”

She halted almost immediately and turned. “Sorry, daddy.”

He walked to her. “What is going on with you?”

She exhaled. She wiped a tear away and looked up at her father. She took another breath. “When I first moved here no one paid attention to me so I went walking around. To get familiar with everything.”

He nodded. “Right.”

“That’s when I found them.” She pointed at the headstones. She shrugged. “I have spent four years talking to you and grandpa about everything.” She sighed again. “Like Aunt Thea, but then about couple of years ago, Aunt Thea caught me and uh…..told me not to. That since you didn’t know about me and grandpa didn’t either it didn’t give me the right to unload on you like she could. So, I come when I know no one else will.”

Oliver opened his mouth to say something, but instead, Lexy said something to Thea. “You know, I don’t get you. I don’t understand how you can hate someone you don’t even know.” She put hand to her chest. “You don’t know me! I’ve lived in your house for four years and you don’t even know me! But you hate me for what I have no idea.” She shook her head as she spoke. “I don’t hate you. I could never hate you, do you know why?”

She shook her head.

Oliver watched Lexy’s chin quiver as she spoke, “Because you and grandma were my only connections to grandpa and daddy. I have spent my entire eleven years wanting to know what my father was like and when my mom’s best friend told me I was coming to live with you guys I couldn’t help but think that maybe I could have family after all.”

She wiped her tears away. She exhaled. “I just wish I knew the exact thing I did to make you hate me, so I could at least apologize for it.” She looked at her dad, then her aunt and then her dad again. She kissed his cheek. “Excuse me. I gotta go so see what I did wrong with grandma now.”

* * *

 

The next day, everyone gathered for the dedication for the applied sciences building. Lexy waited for the thing to start off the stage. The stage was where the family was seated for the memorial. Her father, however, wasn’t anywhere to be found. She smoothed out her pink brocade sleeveless dress.

Then out of nowhere, making a commotion, Oliver showed up. He made his way up to the stage, but stopped where Lexy stood. “Hey, Lexy.”

She waved. He waved her to meet him and she walked through the crowd and took his hand. He lifted her on the stage and then climbed up himself. “Hey! Thanks for warming them up, Walt. All right. Ow! Fine, fine shovel. I got it.” Oliver took the shovel from Walter and almost dropped it. “Whoa! Ow!”

Somewhere in the crowd, Lexy could hear a woman whisper, “He must be drunk.”

“I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I got it. I got it.” Oliver leaned into the microphone. “Some of you may not know me. My name is Oliver Queen.” He paused as if he was waiting for an applause or something. “Watch some television, read a newspaper, I'm kind of famous right now. Mostly, though, I'm famous because I'm Robert Queen's son.” He held Lexy’s hand tighter. “Uh, but as Walter, who's my new dad... Huh? Who is... Sorry. As Walter was saying, I'm not much of a legacy, per se.”

“Oliver, you don't have to do this,” he whispered.

“No, sit. Sit! Gosh.” He smiled down at his daughter. “Hey, do you all know my daughter, Alexandra?”

That brought the collective gasps. He smiled at the now flashing cameras. “She’s eleven and she’s the reason why I decided to say what I have to say right now.” He looked at his mother, sister and Walter, then back at the audience. “See, I was supposed to come here today, and I'm supposed to take my rightful place at the company. Prodigal son returns home and becomes the heir apparent. But I'm not my father. I'm not the man he was. I'm not half the man he was. I never will be. So, please, stop asking me to be.” He stuck the shovel in the dirt on the side of the stage and walked off with Lexy.

Back at home, Oliver sat her down and across from at his desk. “I wanted to talk to you.”

She nodded. “Okay. Did I do something wrong?”

He shook his head. “No. Please don’t make the assumption that every time I wanna talk to you that you’re in trouble, okay?”

She nodded. “Okay, so what’s up?”

“I wanted to let you know that what happened today had to happen. Letting your grandmother know I wasn’t going to take over and all that.”

“So, the part where you admitted—”

“No, I had always had every intention of doing that. I’m not going to hide you from the world, Lex. You’re my daughter and I’m proud to be your father. You know, besides, the promise I made to your grandpa, seeing you again was got me through some of the most difficult times on the island.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “Yes. Later today I have a team coming to dig up my headstone. I hope that whatever you need to talk about you’ll come to me and not the headstone.”

She laughed. “I wasn’t talking to your headstone. I was talking to grandpa. I wanted to see if he had any ideas on how to get through to Aunt Thea.”

He smiled. “I can help with that. Sooner or later, she’ll come around, Sweetheart.” He opened his top drawer and slid a card across the desktop to her.

“What’s this?”

“A credit card.”

“Dad?!”

He laughed. “You’re not keeping it. However, I am.” He put it in his wallet. “Here’s the thing, My Little Lexy-O.”

“What?”

“I want there to be something with you and me that I didn’t have with my parents.”

“Okay, what?”

“An open communication. I want you to come to me for anything. And I mean that. From now on, its you and me against the world, okay?”

She nodded. “Okay. Can I ask you something?”

“You can ask me anything.”

“Why does Detective Lance hate you?”

“Because his youngest daughter, Sara died on the Gambit when it went down and he blames me for it.” He shook his head. “I can’t say as though I blame him.” He looked at her. “If you had died while with someone I might do the same thing.”

She laughed. “No you wouldn’t.”

“Yes, I would,” he told her. “From the day I held you I promised to keep you safe and I’m going to continue to keep that promise. There’s nothing in this world that I wouldn’t do to insure your safety.” He exhaled. “However, I hope by the time you’re going away with boys you and I will have a better line of communication than Lance and Sara did and I’ll know you’re making plans like that.”

She smiled. “Promise.”

He smiled. “Good. So, after we unbury me you wanna go have dinner with your ol’ man?”

She nodded, smiling from ear to ear.

Seeing that smile brought him back to 12 years ago when he and Janine started dating. He and Laurel had ended and he met Janine at the lake, during one of the Bradshaw’s parties. Seeing her smile had told him that Janine Bradshaw was forever going to be in his life. She may not be there now, but half of her was and he was looking at her now.


	5. Lone Gunmen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so excited that you are all are enjoying this story as much as I am writing it. I hope you stay to the end of the series of stories. I have a lot planned.
> 
> And please keep the good vibes coming, I enjoy those the most. ;-)

He had gone back and forth on whether or not to show her any of this, but he had told her he wasn’t going to keep secrets from her anymore. If he wanted her to be honest and open up he knew he’d have to do the same. He unlocked the entrance to the Queen warehouse and let her in first.

Lexy walked in and turned around. “Nice, dad.”

He laughed. “It’s not up here I wanna show you. It’s downstairs.” He walked ahead of her.

She started running after him. “Okay, but the moment that a rat shimmies across my shoe—”

He laughed. “There aren’t any rats, Sweetheart. Come on.”

She walked down the steps after him and he flipped the lights on. She looked around. She nodded. “Cool, daddy. You got your own Batcave.”

He laughed. “Something like that.” He cleared his throat. “You know that vigilante that’s been sweeping through town?”

She nodded. And raised his hand slightly, acknowledging that it was him. “I’m it.”

She gasped. “You’re the vigilante?!”

He nodded. He winced when she let out the most high pitched squeal in the world. “Wow….” He muttered. “You got some lungs on you.”

She laughed. “Sorry. That’s so cool!”

“It’s cool that I’m the vigilante?”

She nodded. “Yeah. You get to help people and I think that’s the coolest part.”

He smiled and came to her, taking his face in her hands. “You are the best little girl in the world. You know that?”

She nodded. “So, you keep saying.”

“And your name so totally fits.”

She smiled. “Thanks.” She began looking around and stopped when she thought of something. “That means to learn to fight like you’ve been rumor to you had to learn it off the island, right?”

“Uh….”

Knowing when her father didn’t want to answer something, she raised a hand. “It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me. But can I come here with you sometime when you’re doing the whole brooding hero thing?”

He laughed. “Sure.” He waved her to a section of the basement and showed her the work out spots. “Here’s what I really wanted to show you.”

She looked around. “Oh, cool! Kind of like a gymnastics gym. Each spot is it’s own station.” She pointed at a ladder with a pole on it. “What is that?”

“The Salmon Ladder,” he instructed. “Ever seen one?”

She shook her head. “Uh….I don’t think so. It looks like the horizontal bar in gymnastics. What do you do with the pole?”

“You use the pole and climb the ladder.” He smiled. “Here, I’ll show you.”

He hopped up and she watched as he meticulous climbed the ladder using the pole. “That looks really fun!” she exclaimed. “Teach me.”

* * *

 

The next day, the Vigilante attempted to take down another rich guy with bad morals. Knowing her dad was the Vigilante both scared her and made her aspire to be him someday. And who knew, maybe some day with her learning everything she is she could be his sidekick.

For now, she’d keep that little want to herself.

She finished her cereal and dropped the bowl into the sink. She walked over to Raisa and kissed her cheek. “See you after school, right?”

“Like always, Lexy. Have a good day.”

She nodded. “You too. I wonder if Aunt Thea’s going to school.” She glanced her watch. “I wonder if daddy’s up yet.” She walked up the back stairs and knocked on her father’s door. “Daddy, it’s Lexy.” She knocked again. “Daddy?”

She opened the door and peeked inside. She looked around. “Daddy?”

Again, no answer. She sighed. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and dialed Diggle. “Hey, MD, it’s me.”

“Well, good morning, Miss Lexy. What do you I owe the pleasure?”

“Daddy’s not home. Is he with you?”

“No.”

“Dang it!” She exhaled. “Well, if he doesn’t make it home, will you give me a ride to school?”

“I’d be happy to,” he answered.

Lexy walked downstairs and smiled when she seen Diggle standing outside the archway to the living room. When she saw the cops standing there she immediately knew what was going to happen. Thea wasn’t going to go to school. “Oh, great,” she muttered. “The Great Princess will be taking the day off.”

He snickered, “How do you know?”

“Because when she does stuff like this she always gets the day off.”

“Alexandra, get to school!” her grandmother yelled.

“While I have to go to school. Heck, the last time I had a really bad cold the hag wouldn’t even let me stay home from an event.”

“You’re kidding?!”

She shook her head. “Nope.” She smiled. “Of course that was until I puked on the Mayor’s shoes.”

He laughed softly. “Good job.”

The door opening and closing got both their attentions and they turned. Lexy sighed out of relief and rushed to her father. “Daddy!” she said, jumping into his arms. “I was worried,” she whispered.

He smiled and kissed her head. “Sorry, Sweetheart. Didn’t mean to worry you.” Oliver looked at Diggle. “What happened? Thea ok?”

“The cops brought her home. Her and some of her friends broke into a store, tried on some dresses last night. Lit up the breathalyzer like a Christmas tree. So how was your evening, sir?”

“You mean after I said I had to go to the bathroom at dinner and never came back?”

“I guess from now on I'll be watching you pee.”

“Thank you, officers. My wife and I appreciate it. I'll see you out.”

Moira turned to her daughter. “Last time it was public intoxication. This time breaking and entering. My, how we are moving up in the criminal world.”

Thea rose, smirking. “You know, when you pay off the store owner, you should check out the merchandise. They got some pretty killer outfits.”

Frustrated and seeming to be at her wit’s end, Moira said, “Thea, go get ready for school.”

“Uh, you know, I was thinking of taking a sick day,” she manipulated.

“Fine, then get some sleep.”

Lexy turned to Diggle and smirked. “Told ya.”

On the drive to school Oliver looked at Lexy. “Hey, I have an idea, why don’t you name the club?”

She whipped her head around. “You want **_me_** to name the club?”

He nodded. “Yeah. It’ll be your club too.” He smiled. “Not to mention, it’ll give you reasons to come see me.”

She laughed. “Okay. I’ll think about it. Good and while you’re thinking about it and learning to be an educated person of society, I’m gonna let Dig and Tommy see the place and see what they say, okay?”

She nodded. “Okay.”

* * *

 

Oliver pulled up to the curb of the lower side of town and Lexy stepped out of the car with him. “Okay, dad, what are we doing here?”

“You’re gonna help me.”

“With what?”

He looked down into her blue eyes and smiled. “The other night, the man I was going to talk was killed and the shooter took quite a few shots at me.”

She gasped. “Really? Is that why you were late that morning?”

“Yes,” he admitted. “Well, if my calculations are correct the bullet that didn’t hit me should be in this general area. Do you know what a bullet inside a building looks like?”

She looked up at him. “Does TV shows count?”

He chuckled. “Yeah, it counts. Come on. Keep your eyes open.”

As they strolled through the alley, they searched high and low. Lexy gasped and said, “Daddy, what’s that?”

He walked over and looked up to where she was pointing. “That would be it, Lexy-O, thank you.”

She watched her father literally scale the building. “Wow….that’s kinda cool, daddy. You can parkour.”

“What?”

“Parkour. A friend of mine and his brother does it. It’s really cool. Maybe I’ll get them to teach me.”

He pulled the bullet out of the building and studied it for a moment, then got down. He bent down and let her look at it. “That is a bullet from inside concrete.”

“Kinda mangled, but cool. So, now what?”

“Now, I take you to school and I go check out this bullet.”

“Aww….bummer,” she muttered. “Okay.”

He smiled. “Okay, come on, Sweetheart.”

* * *

 

Later that night, at the Queen Mansion, Detectives Lance and Hilton were there to talk to Moira and Walter about the death of Carl Rasmussen. Detective Lance makes a veiled accusation that Walter’s bumping them off.

Later that night, Oliver walked into Lexy’s room and knelt down by her bed. “Hey, I’m going to a new club opening. It’s basically to scope out the competition, so I probably won’t be home until late, okay?”

She nodded. “Okay.” She said as she pulled her History book on to her lap. “If our friend happens to make an appearance be careful, okay?”

He smiled. “I will, I promise.” He kissed her forehead. “I love you. Good night. Don’t stay up much later, okay?”

“Promise,” she vowed. “Have fun with Tommy, daddy. Don’t get into too much trouble, okay?”

“Okay.” He walked to the door.

“And daddy.”

“Yes?”

“I love you too.”

He pulled the door open and said over his shoulder. “Need anything text me.”

* * *

 

The night ended not long after Max Fuller and his goons had attempted to beat up Oliver and Tommy. Laurel swooped in and threw Max quite literally off his feet when she fought him. They ended up at Big Belly Burger with Diggle.

They sat down at a booth and Tommy attempted to apologize. But Oliver was being so cool about it that it was throwing Tommy off. “What’s going on with you? Why are you so chill about this?”

He leaned forward on the table. “Because I destroyed what Laurel and I had the moment that I brought Sara on the boat with me.” He exhaled. “And Lexy.”

He looked at him suspiciously. “What about Lexy?”

“She has to be my top priority now. I’m all she has left.” He paused for a moment. “Living with my mother and sister were horrible for her and with you kinda blowing her off—”

“About that, let me explain.”

He nodded. “Go ahead.”

“It was hard for me. I know it wasn’t Lexy’s fault, but one day I was sitting down to lunch with her and Laurel and I looked across the table and I swear to you, man, you were looking back at me.”

He nodded. “I could see that, but you should explain it to her. She thinks that her ‘Uncle’ Tommy hates her.”

He sighed. “I will.” He exhaled. “I gotta admit, man, I’m glad you’re still alive, because I saw how Thea and your mom were treating her, but I wasn’t sure if there was anything I could do. It’s neglectful what they did, but they weren’t abusing her in any way.”

“Depends on your perspective,” Oliver admitted to him. He waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. Apologize to Lexy and all will be well and we’ll forget it happened.”

He nodded just as Oliver’s phone rang. He answered in Russian and then asked for privacy by lying and saying it was a Russian model.

* * *

 

The next morning, Lexy walked into her father’s room where a laptop with bullet holes sat on his desk. “Morning, daddy.”

“Morning, beautiful. How’d you sleep?”

“Great. I see you ran into our old friend.”

He nodded. “I did.”

“Are these bullet holes?”

He nodded. “They are. We need the information off this laptop for later tonight at the auction. Do you know anyone who could help?”

“Uh…..” she thought for a moment. “I might! Her name’s Felicity. Felicity Smoak. She works at the company in the IT department.”

He nodded. “Well, go get your shoes on and we’ll go check and see if she’ll be able to help.”

She quickly got her shoes on and they were out the door in under 5 minutes. They started heading for Queen Consolidated.

* * *

 

“Felicity Smoak?” Oliver asked as he stepped into her office.

She looked up at him in total surprise.

“Hi. I'm Oliver Queen."

"Of course. I know who you are, you're Mr. Queen.”

“No, Mr. Queen was my father.”

“Right, but he's dead. I mean, he drowned. But you didn't, which means you could come down to the I.T. department and listen to me babble. Which will end. In 3... 2... 1.”

“It would seem we have a mutual friend in common.”

She looked at him curiously. She highly doubted that. “Friend?”

“Alexandra Queen.”

“Oh! Right, right. Lexy.” She smiled. “Great girl. How do you know her?”

“She’s my daughter.”

“Oh! Right. I remember Lexy saying something about that. She said after she told me who you were to her, she stopped saying it because suddenly she was treated differently.” She put a hand to her chest. “Not by me, but others who worked here.

He nodded. “Well, uh….I'm having some trouble with my computer and they told me that you were the person to come and see. I was at my coffee shop surfing the web and I spilt a latte on it.”

“Really?” She was immediately suspicious of his story.

“Yeah.”

“'Cause these look like bullet holes.”

“My coffee shop is in a bad neighborhood. If there is anything that you can salvage from it, I would really appreciate it.”

She nodded. She started to hook everything up. “How is she by the way? It’s been awhile since I seen her and I was actually starting to worry, especially with your mother—I’m sorry. None of my business.”

“No, it’s okay. Lex is great. I’ll have her either stop by or call you if you want.”

She nodded. “Please.”

* * *

 

“Alexandra.”

Lexy groaned and bent her head to the desk. “Yes, Grandmother?”

She walked into the room holding a sage green and gold dress. “I’d like you to wear this to your grandfather’s stock auction tonight.”

“Daddy said he didn’t want me to go.”

“Too bad. You’re going. I want the entire Queen family there and since your father insist on not hiding you anymore—even if—”

“Don’t even,” she interjected. “I know what you’re trying to do, grandmother and it won’t work. I’ll go to Grandpa’s stock auction thing tonight, but I’m wearing one my dresses, not that ugly thing.”

“Fine,” she said. She knew to give up the battle. She walked to the door and pulled it open. “Thank you, Alexandra.”

* * *

 

She had picked a dress that would satisfy her grandmother, but that she really liked too. The only problem now was she didn’t know what shoes to put with it. She exhaled. Maybe it was dumb to care about that because it wasn’t like she was going to get noticed at this thing, but she really didn’t want to embarrass her father either.

_RING-RING! RING-RING! RING-RING!_

She snatched her phone off of her desk and answered immediately, “Hey, daddy.”

“Hey, Sweetheart. You okay?”

“No. I’m trying to decide on shoes for this danged stock auction of Grandpa Walter’s.”

“I thought I said—”

“You did, but grandma insisted.”

“Okay,” he relented. Sometimes it was better to let his mother get her way. “Let’s lay some ground rules, okay?”

“Okay. Like….?”

“One: You may help me look for Dead Shot. Look for a red dot and you’ll know. Two: When I tell you to get the hell out I don’t want any arguments you just move. Understand?”

“I understand, daddy.”

“Good. Now, I want you to ride in with your grandparents and Aunt Thea, okay?”

“Okay, daddy. You okay?”

“Yeah. I had to stop in and talk to detective Lance as our friend and I’m gonna be running late.”

“Okay.”

“And, Lex?”

“Yes?”

“Ask your Aunt Thea.”

“Aunt Thea hates me, daddy.”

“She doesn’t hate you. Just ask and see what happens. You may be surprised.”

“Okay. I’ll try.”

“Good. See you soon.”

“See you soon. Love you, daddy.”

“I love you, Sweetheart. Bye.”

She hung up the phone and exhaled deeply. She picked up the shoes she was deciding on and walked to Thea’s room. The door was open so she knocked cautiously. “Aunt Thea?”

“Yeah?” Thea said walking out of the bathroom. She looked at Lexy and she could have sworn she didn’t seen the disdain she saw in them before.

“Um….can I ask you a question?”

“Sure. Great dress.”

She looked down at the dress, excited. “You think so?”

“Yeah. In fact, I have a great belt that would go great with that,” she said simply.

To say Lexy was stunned was an understatement. Maybe she didn’t hate her. “You do?” she asked, a little caution in her voice.

She nodded. “Yeah.” She walked into her closet and handed her a slim belt. “If you put it around your waist, it’ll hug the sheath to her your body a little more and it looks fashionable too.”

She smiled. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome. So, what did you need?”

“What shoes would go with this dress?”

Thea smiled again. “Just a second….” She walked into her closet and came out with a pair of silver sandaled pumps. “Put these on. They would go great with the dress.”

She couldn’t believe it. Thea was actually being really, really, nice to her. “I can wear them?”

She nodded. “Yeah.” She exhaled. “Look, Lex, I’m sorry for the way I’ve been treating you. I don’t have a real reason why, except I didn’t want to get you too close and have you leave me too. Your dad and I used to be really, really close and now…..lets just say we’re not so much now.”

“I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “Not your fault.” She smiled. “Go, finish getting ready.”

* * *

 

Lexy had never been so bored in her life and she had been to some very boring things in the last 5 years. After it was revealed to Moira that Thea had shown, surprisingly the teenager hadn’t left her side all night. “Remind me the next time something like this comes up of how bored I was at this moment.”

Thea laughed softly. “I’ll be right with you on that, Lex. Seen Oliver yet?”

“No. You don’t think he’d bail do you?”

She shook her head. “No. He promised you he’d be here. He’ll show up, Lex, I know he will.”

A few moments later and Lexy saw her father. She put her drink on a tray as it passed by her and she rushed to him as he stopped to talk to Detective Lance. She halted and waited. He waved her forward. He hugged her. “You look beautiful tonight.”

“Thanks, daddy.” She smiled up at Lance. “Detective, how are you?”

“I’m fine, thank you. Your dad’s right. You look great.”

“Thank you,” she smiled. “The shoes and the belt are Aunt Thea’s.” She looked at her dad. “You were right. She doesn’t hate me. She actually apologized and is sticking to me like glue.”

“Good. I’m glad.” He took her hand. “Come on. Let’s go talk to Diggle.”

It seemed to all happen so fast. As soon as they started to talk and search with Diggle, shots began to fill the air. Oliver grabbed both Thea and Lexy and shielded them. He looked at Lexy. “You okay?”

She nodded and he asked the same of Thea. “Daddy…..”

“Sir, I gotta get you out of here.”

“No! Them. Them.” He looked at Dig. “Remember the promise you made to me.”

He nodded and got all 3 of the Queen women out of the building. Once they were secure, and he seen Lexy hugging her aunt, he went to find Oliver.

* * *

 

After the fight with Dead Shot, Oliver heard a groan fill the air and he turned to see Diggle hunch over, he’d been shot. He immediately took him to the hide out and prepared the cure for the poison and gave it to him. Dig passed out not long after.

When Dig came to much later, he overheard a deep voice talking on the phone.

“No, I’ll be home later, Sweetheart. Just go to school and I’ll see you at dinner, okay?” He smiled. “I love you too.” He hung up and looked at Diggle, fully revealed as Oliver.


	6. An Innocent Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short one guys, but I promise the next one will be longer. Enjoy!!
> 
> And Comments are encouraged.

“Hey. Oliver?” He said, groggy and kinda out of it. “You're that vigilante.” He attempts to take a swing at him, but he’s weakened.

Oliver easily ducked his attempt. “Easy, Dig. You were poisoned.”

“Son of a bitch.” He tries again.

This time Oliver holds him and then lets him go. “Come on. Come on. I could have taken you anywhere, could have taken you home. I brought you here.”

“You really did lose your mind on that island.”

“Found a couple things along the way.”

“Like what, archery classes?”

“Clarity. Starling City is dying. It is being poisoned by a criminal elite who don't care who they hurt, as long as they maintain their wealth and power.”

“What are you gonna do, take 'em all down by your lonesome?”

“No. I’m forming a trusted team. Now, I want you to join me.”

Dig scoffed.

“Special Forces out of Kandahar. It's perfect. You're a fellow soldier.”

“Oliver, you're not a soldier. You're a criminal. And a murderer.” He took a breath. “You’re a father! Does your daughter know this is how you spend your nights?”

“Lexy knows about me, yes. In fact, she’s been here and I’ve taken her around with me a few times.”

“Unbelievable. You’re willing to get your daughter killed for your cause?”

He shook his head, seriousness in his eyes. “No. I’ve never taken her anywhere dressed as this. It’s always as Oliver, her father.”

Dig shook his head and left the hideout. Leaving Oliver alone.

* * *

 

That night, Oliver walked into the mansion. It was late and all he wanted to do was crawl into bed. As he began to ascend the stairs he heard Laurel ask where he was. She then proceeded to let him have it, accusing him of not caring about anyone but himself. Thea had heard some of it and checks on him.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. It’s the second time tonight that a friend has taken me to the woodshed. It kinda tires you out.”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“Lexy—”

“Is fine. She fell asleep about a half an hour ago, but she made me promise to have you go let her know you were home.”

He nodded. “Okay, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

He shook his head. “No. I mean about the change of attitude toward her. I don’t know what brought it on, but I’m glad you’ve come to terms and made peace—”

It was her turn to shake her head. She exhaled. “It wasn’t about not liking her. It was my fear of getting close to her and having her disappear like you did. I didn’t want to go through the pain like I went through with you, so I thought if I pushed her away and kept her away then I couldn’t get hurt.”

He smiled and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry for all you’ve gone through, Thea. And again, thank you for taking the chance on my little girl. I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome.” She smiled. “She’s actually an amazing girl.” She laughed a little. “She can talk your ear off if you let her.”

He laughed and nodded. “That she can. Janine was like that too, especially when she got really nervous.”

“How did you and Janine…..?”

He smiled. “Mr. Bradshaw and dad have been friends for years. Golf partners. And one summer when we went to the lake, I met Janine. I was…..fifteen at the time and she had just turned fifteen. We started dating, I really liked her. And that fall, we went up to the lake and….” He sighed. “We lost our virginities to each other that weekend and that weekend created the greatest thing that can ever come out of two people together. I will never regret my time with Janine because it would mean I regretted Lexy and I don’t.”

“So, you knew she was pregnant and you didn’t say anything because of mom and dad’s views on illegitimate children?”

He nodded. “They had always told me that any illegitimate children we had would never be accepted and they would never inherit. So, we had agreed to not say anything. I didn’t want Lexy to go through the pain of knowing she’d never be accepted and……she went through it anyway when Janine was killed.”

“Wow….that’s actually quite admirable, Big Brother. So, you did it to protect her?”

He nodded. “Yeah.” He kissed her cheek. “Good night, Sis. See you in the morning.”

“Good night. Remember to say good night to your girl before you hit the bed.”

He nodded. “I will.” He walked upstairs and went directly to Lexy’s room. He walked to her bed and knelt in front of it. He brushed some hair back with the lightest of touch. “Hey, Princess.”

“Daddy….?” She said groggily.

“Yes, baby. I’m home.”

She nodded and snuggled in to her bed more. “Okay. ‘night, daddy. I love you.”

He smiled. “I love you too, Sweetheart.” He kissed her cheek and then went to his bedroom almost directly across the hall. He stripped out of his suit and everything and almost fell face first into the pillows.

* * *

 

The next morning, Oliver came downstairs to find that he had a new bodyguard and his daughter was gone. He asked about Diggle and mom explained that Diggle resigned because he didn’t approve of how he spent his nights. He nodded. “Okay. Where’s Lexy?”

She flipped another page of the newspaper. “Ahh….yes. Alexandra was driven to school today with Thea. She actually volunteered. She said something about you not sleeping well and wanted to give you more time.”

He nodded. “Okay.” He asked Rob to get the car and Rob left the house.

Instead of using the car, Oliver got on his motorcycle and drove away, passing Rob with a wave.

* * *

 

That night, Oliver walked into the mansion and stopped at the foot of the stairs. “Lexy!”

There was no answer.

“ALEXANDRA!”

Seconds later, he heard a door open and close and then his beautiful daughter’s footsteps on the stairs. She smiled. “Hey, daddy.”

“Hello, Beautiful. How was school?”

“It was okay,” she answered. “What’s up?”

“I heard from a little birdie that you like Big Belly Burger’s Chili Cheese Fries.”

She nodded. “Your intel would be correct,” she smiled. “Why?”

“Want to go have dinner with me?”

“Does Rob have to come with us?”

He nodded. She’d never pass up dinner with her father, so she answered, “Okay, fine. But he gets all professional on me again and I may have to punch him.” She grabbed her coat off the hook. “And just so you know I broke my instructor’s nose.”

“Point taken, Beautiful.” He smirked. “I got word that your favorite person is at Big Belly Burger now.”

She smiled as she slid into the back with him. “Is that why we’re going?”

“Partly. The other part is to feed you.”

* * *

 

They got to Big Belly Burger and they walked inside behind Rob. As Rob made sure the area was ‘safe’, Lexy was itching to get inside. Rob looked at Oliver. “Perimeter safe, Sir.”

“Thank you, Rob.” He smiled at his daughter. “Go.”

She released an excited squeal and hopped into the empty booth behind Dig and hugged him around the shoulders. “Mmm!” she said as she squeezed him hard for a second and then loosened up. “I miss you.”

Dig felt his heart thud sadly. Honestly he missed the little girl too. He kissed her forearm. “I miss you too, Lexy.” He smiled at Carly. “Carly, this is Oliver’s daughter, Lexy. Lexy, this is my sister-in-law, Carly.”

Lexy nodded. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Diggle.”

“You too, Lexy. And please call me Carly.” She smiled as she watched the little girl come around and sit beside Diggle, then put her head on his arm. “What can I get you, Sweetheart?”

“Chili cheese fries and…..” she looked at her dad, “….may I get a soda?”

He nodded. She smiled. “….with a cola, please.”

She nodded. “Coming right up.”

Oliver sat down. “I couldn't help but notice a distinct lack of police cars when I got home. I knew you wouldn't drop a dime on me. So have you considered my offer?”

“Offer.” He scoffed. “That's one hell of a way to put it.”

“It is an offer. It's a chance to do the kind of good that compelled you to join the military.”

“Please. You were born with a platinum spoon in your mouth, Queen. What, you spent 5 years on an island with no room service, and suddenly you found religion?” He scoffed again.

“This was my father's. I found it when I buried him.”

“I thought you said your father died when the boat went down.”

“We both made it to a life raft, but there wasn't enough food and water for both of us, so he shot himself in the head. And as much as he was doing it to give me a chance to survive, I believe that he was also atoning for his sins. I need to right the wrongs done by my family, and I'm offering you the chance to right the wrongs done to yours.”

“Oliver, what are you talking about?”

“The police never caught your brother's shooter.”

“Hey, you leave Andy out of this.”

“The bullets were laced with curare. That's Floyd Lawton's M.O. He is the sniper that I stopped.”

“Are you trying to tell me that you took down Andy's killer?”

“I'm--I'm giving you the chance, a chance to help other people's families. Do you remember when the people in this city helped each other? They can't do that anymore, because a group of people, people like my father, they see nothing wrong with raising themselves up by stepping on other people's throats. It does need to stop, and if it's not gonna be the courts and it's not gonna be the cops... Then it's gonna be me. And, I hope, you.” He stood and Rob came forward. “I'm gonna go to the washroom, Rob.”

“I should go ask Carly for a go bag.” She kissed Diggle’s cheek. “Please consider daddy’s offer. I miss you, Dig. It’s not the same with the Cardboard Cutout here.”

Dig snickered. “Get going, Small Fry.”

Lexy quickly walked up to the counter. “Hey, Carly?”

“Hey, Lex, what’s up?”

“Can I get my order to go?” She thumbed in Rob’s direction. “He’s gotta go catch up with daddy.”

She nodded. “Yep.” She did as she asked and put it into a go bag. She handed it to her and Lexy paid for it. “Enjoy.”

“I will, thank you.” She walked up to Rob. “”Take me home, please?”

“Your father—”

“Will be very angry if I have to walk from this side of town. So, do I tell him you failed to see home his most precious asset?”

Dig blew out a breath. “I wouldn’t want to be you if that happens, Man.”

“What?” Rob asked.

“Lexy’s right. To Oliver, she’s the most important thing to him.”

“But Mrs. Queen—”

“Has never acknowledged Lexy’s existence unless she had to. Trust me, if you wanna keep your job, then take her home,” Dig informed him. “And she never will, not unless it benefits her.”

* * *

 

Rob dropped Lexy off about 15 minutes later and she walked inside.

“Where have you been?”

She had her back to her grandmother so luckily the older woman didn’t see her roll her eyes. “I went out with daddy.”

“Do you think just because your father has taken—”

“Mom, leave her alone.”

Moira turned at the sound of Thea’s voice. “What? You’re getting along now?”

“We are,” she answered. She looked at Lexy. “Head upstairs. I’ll handle this.”

“Thanks, Aunt Thea.”

Thea crossed her arms in front of her as she waited for the sound of Lexy’s door closing.

Lexy walked to her bed and took her jacket and purse off. She sat the bag on her bed, her soda on the nightstand, and quickly changed her clothes. She flipped her TV on and sat down to enjoy her chili cheese fries.

Later, while in bed her cell phone rang. She swiped it up groggily and blurrily looked at the caller ID. “Daddy?”

“Hey, Sweetheart. Were you sleeping?”

“Yeah, but it’s okay. Everything alright?”

He smiled on his end. “Everything’s fine, Beautiful.”

“Where are you?”

“I need to go to the prison. Laurel’s there. She needs my help.”

“Okay, daddy. Be careful. I love you.”

He smiled. That phrase would never get old. “I love you too, Lex. See you in the morning.”

* * *

 

The next morning, Lexy walked downstairs to see her father standing in the living room. She walked up to him and hugged him. “Morning, daddy.”

“Morning, Beautiful. How’d you sleep?”

“Great,” she walked further into the room and screeched excitedly when she saw Dig. “DIG!” She launched herself into his arms and hugged tightly. “Please tell you’re here to stay?”

He laughed and hugged her tighter. “Yes, I’m staying.”

She hugged him tighter again.

The latching sound to the door was heard in the living room and Lexy turned to see 2 officers approach her father and begin to handcuff him. He fought, yelling, “Not in front of my daughter, guys!”

“Daddy?”

“Oliver Queen, you’re under arrest on suspicion obstruction of justice, aggrevated assault—”

“Daddy, no!”

She started to charge toward the officers and detectives, but Dig held her back.

“Not in front of my daughter,” he told them again. “Please.”

“Daddy!”

Knowing his pleas were falling on deaf ears he looked at Lexy. “It’s okay, Baby. I promise everything will be okay.”

“….trespassing, acting as a vigilante—”

“Are you out of your mind?!”

“….and murder.”

Lexy watched in horror as they hauled him off to jail. “Daddy!”

Oliver held the officers off long enough to look at Dig. “Take care of her!”

He nodded and Oliver let them take him, hanging his head, fighting tears as he heard his daughter’s screaming cries for him.

Lexy buried her face in Diggle’s side and sobbed. Without even thinking about being professional, Dig bent down and wrapped his arms around the little girl to soothe her.

Moira sighed and looked at her granddaughter. “Get upstairs.”

“Grandmo—”

“I said get upstairs!” she yelled.

She took off running for her room. She swiped up her cell phone and searched for a number. She pressed the screen hard and waited for the person to pick up.

“ _Hello?_ ”

“Fe, it’s me.”

“Hey, Lex, what’s up?”

“Do you have the news on?”

“Uh….no. Just a minute. Does it matter which one?”

“More than likely no. It is Oliver Queen we’ll be talking about.”


	7. Damaged

“Hello?”

“Fe, it’s me.”

“Hey, Lex, what’s up?”

“Do you have the news on?”

“Uh….no. Just a minute. Does it matter which one?”

“More than likely no. It is Oliver Queen we’ll be talking about.”

A few seconds later she heard the woman gasp. “Oh, Sweetie, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

“No! I’ve been exiled to my room so that my grandmother doesn’t have to look at her illegitimate grandchild.” She sighed and ran a hand through her blond hair. “Fe, do you think the DA’s got a lot of evidence on him? I mean, to snowball him with or whatever that phrase is?”

There was a pause and then Felicity answered, “No. I don’t.”

She laughed softly. “You’re a bad liar, you know?”

“Okay, Lex, honey, you don’t know what the DA’s got.”

“And I probably never will,” she said and threw herself on her bed. She stared up at the ceiling and sighed. “Do you ever get those days where you feel like Cinderella?”

She laughed. “Sometimes. And I’m still waiting for Prince Charming to show up.”

She scoffed. “Mine probably never will.”

“Oh, Sweetie, you don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do!” she exclaimed, still looking at the ceiling. “I swear to you since daddy came out and introduced me to the world I lost all but five of my friends, Fe.”

“Hey, I’m still here, aren’t I?”

“You’re one of the five.”

“Thank you!”

She sighed. “I miss him, Fe.”

“I know you do, Sweetie. Uh….listen, I hate to do this, but, uh…I gotta get to work.”

“Okay. Talk later, bye.” She hung up the phone and laid it beside her on the bed. She laid there for awhile and then leaned over and grabbed her diary from the nightstand. She opened it to the first open page and began writing:

**A lot has happened in the last couple of months.**

**My dad is home.**

**I thought things would change when daddy got home and while most things have, there are still some that haven’t. I’m still treated like a Princess locked in the tower that everyone wishes would stay there—well, except daddy, of course. If my grandmother had her way I’d still be ‘invisible’.**

**I talked to Felicity today and after our conversation there’s only one thing I’ve thought about. I never thought being Oliver Queen’s daughter would make me lose friends, but as soon as daddy made his announcement during grandpa Robert’s dedication, I lost most of them.**

**Would having Oliver Queen as my father prevent me from other things too?**

**Like falling in love, getting married and having babies?**

**Not that I’m totally thinking about it, like seriously, but it is a thought.**

* * *

 

“This is a mistake,” Oliver told him as they sat across from each other in the interrogation room.

“I'll be asking you a few questions, standard stuff for the report.”

“I’d also like to lodge a complaint with your captain.”

Quentin looked up at the kid that he watch grow up. “Ahh, for what?”

“Do you make it a habit of traumatizing children, Detective?”

“Children? What are you talking about?” he asked a little perplexed.

“Children. My daughter was in the same damn room when you had your damn officers barge into my home and arrest me!” He lifted a brow. “Or did you go selectively deaf as you heard my Little Girl screaming?”

He scoffed. “There is nothing that you could say to convince me that you care about that little girl.”

His eyes narrowed and he leaned forward. “There’s nothing in this world that I wouldn’t do for her. It’s the same way you feel about your daughters, Detective.”

“You didn’t even know she existed until recent—”

“You’re wrong. I was there from beginning to end, Lance. Just because your daughter didn’t know anything about it doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen. I had my reasons to keep my daughter to myself.”

“Self-serving, I’m sure.” He cleared his throat. “As I was saying, I have some questions to ask for my report.”

Oliver leaned back in his chair and looked at the older man.

“Have you been arrested before? That's ok, I know the answer to that one, plenty of times.”

Oliver kept his cool as he said, “Like I said, this is a mistake.”

“Far as I can tell, the only mistake I made was not shooting you down at the docks when I had a chance.”

“I am not who you think I am,” he insisted.

“Oh, you're exactly who I think you are. You're a dangerous menace who doesn't care about who he hurts, except now you're doing it with bows and arrows instead of trust funds and yachts.”

“Detective... You hate me. I get it. But that doesn't make me a vigilante.”

“No. The security camera footage of you at the Unidac auction with a green hood does that pretty well.”

“And as I said again, I ran into the stairwell once I heard the shooting. I saw a duffel that I thought maybe belonged to the shooter. I grabbed it, looked inside and saw... a hood.”

“And what about harassing Adam Hunt? That just happened to take place right across the street from your little homecoming bash.”

“Those were coincidences.”

“No. When they pile up like that, it becomes evidence.”

An officer burst in and said, “His parents are here.”

“Tell them to wait.”

“I want to see my son!” Moira insisted.

“I'm in the middle of an interrogation here!” Lance countered.

“Detective Lance, I know you hate my family, but I had no idea that you'd go so far to arrest my son without any grounds whatsoever!”

“I have solid grounds, and I have evidence.”

“Which you can present to Mr. Queen's attorney when he gets here,” Walter said calmly. “Until then, this interrogation is over, Detective.”

“Sure. You have 15 minutes.” Lance walked out.

* * *

 

Lexy hated this feeling. The hopeless, helpless feeling.

However, there was one thing she could do, but she kept wondering if she’d get in trouble for doing it. To be grounded or not to be grounded?

Deciding that being grounded was better than not knowing what Detective Lance had on her father, she scampered off her bed and ran across the hall to her father’s room. She walked in and shut the door, locking it behind her. She walked to his computer and clicked the screensaver off. She sat down in his chair and sighed. “Now to see if any of your hacking skills have rubbed off on me, Fe.”

About 40 minutes later, she had everything she needed to know. She picked up the phone that sat on his desk and dialed Dig’s cell phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Dig. It’s me.”

“Hey, Lex, how are you?”

“I’m okay, I guess.” She sighed. “Can you come to the mansion and come to daddy’s room?”

“Yeah. What are you doing in your father’s room, Lexy?”

“I’ll explain when you get here,” she responded. “I promise. Please?”

“I’m on my way.”

Moments later, Dig sat next to her at her father’s desk and was explaining why she was in there. He nodded. He could understand that feeling. “Okay, so, what are you doing on the computer?”

“I hacked the police database.”

“What?!” he exclaimed.

“Shh!” she admonished. “Raisa’s still here!”

“You’re eleven years old! How do you know about hacking?”

“I had a friend teach me,” she answered honestly.

He shook his head in disbelief. “I think it’s time your father and I have a discussion about who he lets you hang out with.”

Lexy sighed and rolled her eyes. “Do you wanna know or complain about my friends?”

“Show me.”

* * *

 

After Oliver insisted on having Laurel as his lawyer, he looked at his mother. “I want to talk to Lexy.”

“Oliver, I don’t think—”

“I don’t care what you **_think_** , mother. I have to talk to her. I have to explain all this.” He sighed. “She saw me get arrested right in front of her. She’s gotta be scared.”

About 20 minutes later, Lexy was at the table sitting with him. He took her hands and kissed her knuckles. “I promise I’m gonna do everything I can to get out here, okay?”

She nodded. “I know, daddy.”

“Okay. I want you to be good for your grandmother, okay?”

“I always am,” she muttered.

“I know, but it’s something I’m supposed to say.”

She laughed. “Okay.” She sighed. “Can I hug you?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

She came around the table and walked up to her dad. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held tightly. “I miss you.”

He kissed her hair and released an emotional sigh. “I miss you too, Sweetheart.” He kissed her forehead. “I promise everything will be okay.”

She nodded and hugged him again. She pulled away and sighed. “I better go.” She walked to the door and then stopped. She looked over her shoulder. “You know, I had nothing against Detective Lance when I met him, but now….”

He fought the smile as he watched his daughter try to make the pissed face he was good for. “I know, honey. Get out of here.”

**************

The next morning, Oliver headed into the courtroom and shot Lexy a quick smile before taking his seat.

The judge looked at him curiously. “Where's your attorney, Mr. Queen?”

“I'm representing myself, judge.”

“I'm not sure that's the wisest course, Mr. Queen.”

“I think it is,” he said. “I'm innocent.”

“Then we'll consider that your plea.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, as to bail...”

“Your honor, Mr. Queen's family owns a pair of private jets, and, well, on the subject of their wealth, I would point out that there is virtually no bail amount that can guarantee his presence at trial.”

“So then I guess it's a good thing that the people's case is so circumstantial.” Lexy gasped when she seen Laurel walk into the courtroom, ready to rumble. “Dinah Laurel Lance, your honor. I'd like to file my appearance on behalf of the defendant.” She put her briefcase on the table and looked at the judge. “Mr. Queen's wealth should not deprive him of the right to be released on bail while under the presumption of innocence.”

“He is a flight risk,” the DA argued.

“Then minimize the risk. The defendant really isn’t that much of a threat. His eleven year old daughter is here.” She looked over her shoulder at Lexy and then back the judge. “Trust me when I tell you he’s fully committed to watching her grow up.” She glanced down at Oliver and then looked at the Judge. “The defendant is willing to submit to home confinement and electronic monitoring through the wearing of a UKG45 administrated ankle device.

“No, he wouldn't,” Oliver argued.

“Daddy!” Lexy whispered.

“Sold,” the Judge said.

“Your honor......” the DA tried.

“Bail is set at $15 million. $5 million bond. Defendant to see probation for the fitting of a GPS device.”

Lexy looked at Thea. “Does that mean he gets to come home?”

Thea nodded. “It does.”

Lexy hopped out of her chair as Laurel stood. She stopped in front of her and Lexy looked at her a little confused. She smiled. “I’m sorry I had to use you like that.”

“Use me?” she questioned, confused.

“By telling the judge that your dad wouldn’t leave—”

She shook her head. “Oh! I didn’t think of that as using me. It’s true. Daddy’s told me many times, but thank you.”

She nodded. Lexy looked at her father. “Daddy.”

He walked to her and hugged her over the railing. “Mmm! I miss you!”

“I miss you too.”

“Popcorn and movies.”

She nodded. “Yes!”

* * *

 

**-Queen Mansion……**

 

Oliver sat on the couch next to his daughter while the officer was fitting him with the ankle monitor. Oliver looked up to see his mother visibly worried. “Mom. It's not that bad.”

The officer finished hooking everything in place and said, “Ok. This device has a direct line into the precinct. Stay on the property, you're golden. Any questions?”

“Yes. I'm having a sizable get together here tomorrow evening, and there is a better than likely chance it spills into the outdoor pool.”

“Pool, that's fine. Step on the grass, they're sending a SWAT team to forcibly subdue you.”

“Thank you, officer.”

“Of course.”

Lexy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You’re having a party?”

He nodded. “I am.”

“But what about…..?” She let her words trail off and she stood. “Never mind. I guess you gotta keep up the act, right, dad?”

Oliver heard the tone in the way she said ‘dad’. Lexy never called him ‘dad’. He sighed. “Lex, wait.”

“No,” she said, vehemently. “I won’t!”

He sat back, blinked at her.

She came closer to him, her shoes scuffing across the floor. “It’s not fair! You haven’t even been home for twenty-four dang hours, dad! And you want to throw a fricking party! What about me?! What am I supposed to do sit up in my dang room all night long while you or Tommy try to figure out how many girls you can score in one night….again?”

Oliver turned his eyes to his best friend. “You told her about that?”

He shrugged. “It was attached to a funny story,” he defended.

She looked over her shoulder at her grandmother and then looked back at her father. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. Have your party. Have fun with your friends.” She walked out of the room and to her own room, slamming the door behind her.

Moira looked at her son. “A "sizable get together"?”

“I'm confined to this house for the foreseeable future. I might as well make the most of it. And this party is going to be themed. I'm thinking prison, uh, burning man meets "Shawshank Redemption". The invite says, "come before Oliver Queen gets off.’”

Tommy piped up, “Maybe a party's not in the best of taste, you know, considering the circumstances. I mean, Lexy’s very upset, Ollie.”

“Tommy, the circumstances are why we're having the party in the first place. I want people to know that I'm not worried about any of this.”

“Well, that makes one of us.”

* * *

 

Oliver sat in his room at his desk when a knock sounded on his door. “Yup?”

The door opened and it was Diggle.

“Thank you for coming. Shut the door.”

“I guess it was just a matter of time before the police caught up with you.”

“Except they didn't.”

“Oliver, they got you on video.”

“I knew the security camera was there, just like I knew the police would review the footage and arrest me. All part of the plan.”

“So you wanted to get arrested?”

“Well, I returned to Starling City and a few days later, the vigilante appears. Sooner or later, somebody was going to make the connection.”

“So what part of serving yourself up to the cops will help you avoid going to prison for the rest of your life?”

“There's more to it.”

Well, there better be, for your sake, because your family is freaking out downstairs. Oliver, your mother and your sister just got you back, and now you're going to put them through a trial, maybe even worse? And not to mention your little girl. She hacked the police servers to figure out the charges on you because she was so scared.”

Oliver stopped. “My daughter knows how to hack?”

He nodded. “Pretty damn good too. She told me that a friend taught her how.” He sighed. “Don’t you care that your daughter’s scared?”

“Of course I care. The mission comes first.” He turned the laptop around and showed him a picture a man.

“Who is he?”

“Leo Mueller. German arms dealer. Suspected in the theft of a hundred m249 squad automatic weapons.”

“Ok.”

“Last night he arrived in Starling City to sell the guns.”

“Oliver, don't you imagine there's enough trouble you're in this week than to go after this guy?”

“I imagine what would happen if a street gang got their hands on military-grade hardware. I imagine our city's streets turned into a war zone.”

“But you're under house arrest, Oliver, which means you can't just go after this guy.”

“Look, for now, I would just like you to shadow Mueller. I would like you to track his movements. I want to know where the buy is happening.”

“Ok. And how am I supposed to track him?”

“Well, you know us billionaire vigilantes... we do love our toys.” He smirked. “Take Lex with you. She’s upset with me right now.”

Dig walked over to Lexy’s room and knocked. She stood and walked to the door and pulled it open. “Dig!” she hugged him. “Hi.”

“Hey, Small Fry. Wanna go for a ride with me? I gotta do something for your dad.”

She nodded. “Okay.” She grabbed her jacket and walked out with him.

* * *

 

Dig drove to the warehouse and Lexy got them inside and she pulled the switch that would turn the electricity on. He looked around, amazed. “Wow…..”

He saw Oliver’s arrows and walked over to them. She watched him as he raised his hand to touch one and she said, “Careful,” when he pricked himself. She waved him over. “Over here is what you need.”

She pulled up a suitcase and opened it. It was filled with every piece of spy equipment he’d need.

* * *

 

Sometime later, the party was in full swing and Dig was off to make the bust on Mueller as the Vigilante. Oliver may have seemed like he was focusing on the party but his mind kept drifting to what his daughter had said to him the other day.

He’d been so focused on making sure that everyone who knew him still saw the old him that he didn’t even think about how it would bother his daughter to see him that way. He was headed up to talk to her when he realized that Laurel was there. He looked at her. “Did we have a meeting?”

She shook her head. “No. Can we talk?”

He ushered her upstairs and as they walked down the hall to his room he could hear the muffled thud of some popular song coming from his daughter’s room. He walked her into his room and shut the door after her.

* * *

 

After a few minutes, Laurel left and Oliver left in his room to try and figure out what the kiss was about. As he sat there, his phone rang and it was Dig ready to give him a status update.

Meanwhile, outside the door, a waiter knocked and Oliver answered to see a man standing there with a gun. As they fought, Oliver heard his daughter come in saying, “Hey, Dad—”

“Lexy, get out!”

Without thinking twice, she swung her fist out and connected with the man’s nose, blooding it on contact and then she did a swinging side kick and knocked the guy stumbling backwards back to her father. She then scrambled back to her doorway. Oliver fought him until a shot rang out and it was revealed to be from Lance. The two men stared each other down for a moment and then Oliver moved to his door. “Lex, Sweetheart?”

She rushed to her father and he picked her up in his arms and held her. He smoothed her hair. “It’s okay, Sweetheart.”

She held tightly. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For yelling at you.”

He chuckled and smoothed her hair, kissing her head. “It’s okay, Sweetheart. I’m not mad.” He took her downstairs and directly to the kitchen. “Let me look you over, okay?”

She nodded and showed him her hand. He saw the bruising starting to form. He kissed her hand and then grabbed an ice pack. “Put that there for me.”

“Are you okay, daddy?”

“Yeah, I’m good. As long as you’re okay, I’m okay.”

She smiled. “You know, I think part of the karate and kickboxing lessons they should tell you how much it hurts to punch someone.”

“You punched him?” Lance asked.

She nodded. “I didn’t mean to, I just reacted.” She shrugged and smirked at her father. “Told you I could bust a nose if I needed to.”

He laughed and grabbed himself an ice pack. “All right, Ali, lets go.”

* * *

 

They were both sitting in the living room when Moira and Walter showed up. Moira fawned over Oliver and then accosted Lance. While Walter went to Lexy. “Did he hurt you?”

“No,” she answered. “I punched him and bloodied his nose.” She shrugged. “He scared me, I reacted.”

He laughed and kissed the top of her head. “That’s our girl.”

Lance bent down and unhooked the monitoring bracelet from Oliver’s ankle. “What are you doing?” Oliver asked.

“I got a call from my lieutenant. An arms dealer was attacked across town tonight. By the vigilante. Multiple witnesses put him there. In light of that, all charges against your son are being dropped.”

“I'm truly sorry for what's happened to your family, Quentin. But would you kindly get the hell out of my house?”

Lance walked off with a very hurt and forlorn look on his face.

“Mr. Lance.”

Lance turned and Oliver paused for a moment and said, “Thank you.”

He nodded and started out again.

“Mr. Lance!”

He turned around again and suddenly found his middle full of little girl. He bent down and hugged her. She looked up into his eyes. “Thank you.”

He smiled. “You’re welcome, Lexy. I’m sorry if I frightened you.”

She nodded. “You did, but Aunt Thea explained why. And I’m sorry your daughter died, Mr. Lance, but daddy didn’t do it on purpose. From what Miss Lance has told me, Sara was a very stubborn girl. She probably would have gotten on that yacht even if you had told her not to.” She shrugged and smiled up at him innocently. “It’s what us stubborn girls do.”

He chuckled softly and hugged her again. “Have a good night, Miss Queen.”

She smiled and turned to her family. She seen the shocked expressions on her grandparents’ faces and the smiles on her aunt and father’s faces. “What?”

Thea smile widened. “I think you just charmed your way into having Lance liking you, Lex.”

“What are you doing?” Moira almost yelled.

“Mom, leave her alone. She didn’t do anything wrong,” Oliver told her. He waved her over. He hugged her. “Thank you for your help.”

“You’re welcome, daddy. I love you.”

“I love you too, Sweetheart. Please get up to bed.”

She nodded. “Good night,” she called over her shoulder.

“Good night,” Walter and Thea chorused back.

“Good night. Love you.”

“Love you!” she called from the steps.

* * *

 

The next morning, Lexy knocked on Oliver’s bedroom door and walked in. “Daddy?”

He sat up. “Yeah, baby?”

She charged into the room and jumped on the bed. “Morning!”

He laughed and hugged her. “Morning, Princess. How’d you sleep?”

“Pretty good, considering. I thought I’d have nightmares, but I didn’t.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear that.” He laid back and kissed her hair. “After what I saw last night and what had happened, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“What?” she asked lifting her head and resting her chin on his pec.

“How would you feel about me training you to fight?”

“Daddy, I know some of what you know already,” she admitted.

“I know you do, Baby, but I mean the other stuff.” He exhaled. “It scares the hell out of me to have you know how to do it, but I don’t want you to be vulnerable to anyone. Sweetheart, because of who I am, you’ll be a target to get to me and if you can somehow fight back I won’t worry as much.”

She looked up into his face and into his eyes. Remembering what her mother had told her about her father: ‘His eyes will tell you everything’. After a long few moments she smiled. “Okay, daddy.”

He smiled and kissed her forehead. He sighed contently when she rested her head back on his chest.

She had no idea what exactly he knew and what he could teach her, but she knew right now she was anxiously excited and very scared to learn. All she wanted to do was make her father proud and she hoped that she could do that someday.


	8. Legacies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I feel I should warn you....Sassy Tween will appear in this chapter. 
> 
> And Moira sort of gets a mea culpa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to send out a HUGE shout out to you all. When I first started this story I wasn't sure if anyone would want to read it. But you have excelled all of my expectations for this fic and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am so happy that you are enjoying this story as much as I do writing it. 
> 
> So, please, keep doing so and I hope you will enjoy the place I carry Lexy to in the end.

Lexy sat down in the hideout and watched Dig and her father sparing with metal rods. She couldn’t remember what her father called them, but she had to admit they were really cool. She liked the sound they made as they connected. She winced when one of her dad’s rods connected with Dig’s jaw. “Ooh, daddy.”

He smirked and winked at her and then continued his instruction to Dig about what to do. They continued the sparring until Oliver hit him in the back of the knee, sending him down. Lexy winced and walked over to him. “You okay, Dig?”

“Yes, thank you, Lex.” He looked at his friend. “Still some pretty sweet moves.”

“Yep. Tonight I'm gonna use them on him. Scott Morgan runs water and power in the Glades. Jacks up the prices when people can't pay, shuts them down even in the dead of winter. Which is at least a month away.”

“Look at this.” He bent over the computer and hit a couple of keys. Lexy walked up between them and started reading the article.

“These guys started at Keystone 3 years ago, then began moving west, hitting banks along the way. This morning they hit Starling City Trust. Shot an off-duty cop. He's in a coma and the doctors are saying it's a coin toss whether he'll make it.”

“If he's a cop, SCPD will be all over it.”

“Daddy,” she said, and returned his upturned brow look.

“Overwhelmed? Underfunded? Listen, these guys don't hit one time. They hit 2 or 3 banks per city, which means right now they're planning their next job.”

“I think you have the wrong impression about what it is I do.”

“You take out bad guys with a bow and arrow.”

“I don't fight street crime. That's a symptom of what's wrong with this city. I'm trying to cure the disease.”

Lexy put her hands on her hips and looked at her father. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t you have to cure the symptoms before you cure the disease? Or did my grandfather have that wrong?”

Dig smirked and looked at Oliver as he turned and stared at his daughter. She kept her hands on her hips, but he didn’t say anything. He exhaled. “CEOs and crooked entrepreneurs. I get it. Listen, Oliver, I'm just saying, maybe you can make a difference if you think beyond the scope of those pages. I'm sure your father wouldn't mind.”

“No, you don't get it. My father died so that I could live. Live and make a difference by fixing the city that he and the people in this book ruined. Every name that I cross off this list honors that sacrifice.”

“There's more than one way to save this city.”

Lexy looked at her father and raised her hands in a don’t shoot type of way. “Don’t hate me, daddy, but I agree with Dig. There is more than one way to fight what’s going wrong with this city.”

“Not for me.”

“Crime happens in this city every day.”

“What do you want me to do, stop all of it?”

“Why not?” Lexy asked. “Superman does.” She slid up on one of the tables. “Did you know that crime in Metropolis is virtually nonexistent?”

Oliver turned his head and watched his daughter for a moment. “We seriously need to get you tested.”

“For what?”

“Because I think you’re too damn smart, my Beautiful Daughter.”

She smiled. “Thanks, daddy. Look, all I’m saying is if he can do it we can do it.”

“We?” Oliver and Dig said in unison.

Her face fell. “I thought….oh.” She didn’t know why she thought she’d be a part of this. Even if it was behind the scenes, she would have still been happy to do something.

Oliver walked to her and kissed the top of her head. “Stop everyday crime isn’t for me, Dig.”

“It sounds like you have a narrow definition of being a hero.”

“I'm not a hero.”

* * *

 

There were days that she hated not being at school and today was one of them as she listened to her grandmother rattle on about proper flower etiquette. Where in the heck would she need this skill in practical everyday life? The sound of talking had her looking up just as Moira did. She smiled and Moira did also.

“Ah, guess who I just hung up with. Janice Bowen.”

The Queens looked at her, confused. “Carter's mother.”

“Oh,” Thea and Oliver said in unison. “Carter Bowen.”

Oliver looked at his mom, smiling. “The perfect son.”

“Is he perfect?” Moira asked.

“According to you,” Oliver reminded her. “Carter Bowen just won the national chess championship. Carter Bowen is anchoring the debate team.”

Moira smiled, waving them off. “I'm sure I didn't make that big of a fuss.”

Lexy scoffed.

“Oliver, Carter just got accepted into Harvard and Princeton,” Thea teased.

“Well, that's because Carter got a perfect score on his SATs.”

“Now, how did he manage to study and cure cancer?”

“I say he cheated,” Lexy put in.

“He didn’t cheat,” Moira admonished and then looked at her children. “All right, all right, all right. I get it. I get it. Well, they're coming for brunch and I expect you to be there.”

“I have plans,” Oliver told her.

“That's fine. Brunch is tomorrow.”

“Hmm.”

“Inches from a clean getaway,” Thea snickered.

“Well, you, too, Thea.”

“Snap,” Oliver said pointing at his sister.

Thea rolled her head and looked up at him. “Nobody says that anymore.”

“What? Mom,” he said stopping his mother.

“Hmm?”

“I can't actually go.”

“I haven't seen the Bowens in years. So whatever it is that you have planned, I'm sure the two of you can make the sacrifice just this once.”

“We'll be there,” he relented.

“I hate you,” Thea said before walking off.

“Hey.”

They both looked at Lexy.

“If you ditch me and make me suffer through this alone I will never forgive you.” She raised her right brow. “And daddy, you do remember when you’d make mama angry, right?”

He just looked at her. She smiled. “Think of that but twice as bad.” She waved behind her when she heard a honking from a car. “That’s Taylor’s mom. Gotta go. Kickboxing. Have fun.”

* * *

 

**-Sunday Morning Brunch…..**

 

Lexy looked into the full-length mirror in her bedroom and smiled at the dress she wore. She thought it looked nice, so why didn’t grandma?

 _Because you’re wearing it_.

Again, she was in her room, ‘banished’ by Moira so that she wouldn’t somehow embarrass them with the Bowens.

Downstairs, Oliver apologized for being late and then hugged Thea. “Thank God you’re here. Mom told Lexy not to come out,” she whispered.

He nodded. He smiled at Mrs. Bowen and Carter. “Excuse me. I do believe we’re missing someone.”

“Why, Oliver, did you get married or engaged while on that island?”

He turned and kept a smile firmly in place. “Nope.” He walked to the bottom of the stairs. “Lexy, Sweetheart, can you come down here, please?”

Janice looked at Moira. “Who’s Lexy?”

Thea, like her brother, kept her own smile in place. “Oh, Lexy is Oliver’s daughter.”

“Daughter?!” Carter and Janice said in unison.

The Bowens watched as the extremely beautiful blond walked in holding her father’s hand, looking nervous. Oliver smiled at Janice and Carter. “Mrs. Bowen, Carter. I’d like you to meet my daughter, Alexandra. Lexy, Sweetheart, this is Mrs. Bowen and her son, Carter.”

Lexy returned a beautiful smile. “Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, Moira! She’s beautiful!”

The girl smiled. “Thank you.”

“And extremely polite,” Carter said, smiling. “Didn’t learn that from you, did she?”

Lexy heard her father’s fake laugh and then his response. “No. Not at all.”

Mrs. Bowen bent to her level and asked, “How old are you, Sweetie?”

“Um….I’m eleven. I’ll be twelve in July.”

“Oh!” Mrs. Bowen all but squealed. “You are absolutely adorable!” She looked at Oliver. “To have one this old, Oliver, you must have been what, sixteen?”

He nodded. “I had just turned sixteen before she was born.”

“Ahh….” Carter said dismissively.

Lexy glared at the man. Everyone sat down at the table and Lexy sat across from Oliver.

“You know, there is a bidding war for the rights to your life story. At least that's what my agent says.”

“Agent? I thought you were a neurosurgeon, Carter.”

“I know. It's crazy, right? One minute I'm publishing this book on how long-term potentiation initiates the creation of a slow-moving protein synthesis, and the next, there's an agent trying to make me the next Dr. Oz.”

“Why would he want you to be a wizard?”

Lexy snickered softly. “No, daddy, that Oz was a wizard. This guy is a doctor who got his own TV show thanks to Dr. Phil or something.” She waved him off. “Actually, quite boring.”

“You think it’s boring, Lexy?” Carter asked.

“Alexandra,” Oliver corrected behind his juice glass.

“I’m sorry?”

Oliver smiled. “Only family addresses her as Lexy.” He looked from Mrs. Bowen to Carter. “It’s something her mother and I agreed on.”

Carter nodded. “Right. I’m sorry, Alexandra. Why do you think it’s boring?”

“Because why would you give up your hard work to be on television? It defeats its purpose to me. Especially, since your family paid all that money for said education at one of those Ivy League Schools.” She smirked around the orange juice as she heard her aunt choke down her spit take from her laugh.

“Well,” Mrs. Bowen said taken aback.

Lexy bowed her head when she seen her grandmother’s glare. She looked at her father and gave an apologetic smile. Oliver looked at Carter. “You asked. If you didn’t want a truthful answer, never ask a child.”

Carter nodded. “I guess that’s true.” He smiled at Lexy and then looked at Oliver. “Who’s her mother?”

Oliver smiled triumphantly. “Janine Bradshaw.”

Mrs. Bowen’s silverware fell to her plate in shock. She took a drink of her water. “As in Nicholas Bradshaw’s daughter, Janine?”

He nodded. “That would be her.” He picked up his glass and sipped the orange juice inside. “Dad and Mr. Bradshaw were golfing buddies.”

Mrs. Bowen looked at her son. “Wasn’t she the one you were trying to—”

“Yes, mother.” He looked at Lexy. “I’m not sure if you remember me—”

“Oh, I remember you just fine, Dr. Bowen. You’re the one that kept bringing me stupid little toys in hopes that it would give you an in with my mother.” She leaned forward and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. “Just a tip, Doc? Bribing children usually doesn’t give you an in anywhere, except maybe the Douchebag Hall of Fame.”

“Alexandra!” Moira admonished. She glared at Oliver. “Oliver….”

Oliver smiled at his daughter. “Eat your food, Sweetheart.”

“Yes, daddy.” She picked up her fork and began eating.

“So, Oliver, now that you’re back, what are your plans?”

“Well, besides raising my daughter, um….I’m opening an nightclub.”

“Sir, your liquor distributor is on the line.”

“Excuse me,” he said and got up from the table. He kissed the top of Lexy head. “I love you,” he whispered, but loud enough for them to hear.

* * *

 

After brunch, and after Oliver had thwarted the Royal Flush Gang’s attempt to escape with the money, he and Dig were in the car. “Hey, Diggle, head back to the mansion.”

“Why?”

“Well, it would seem that in my absence Lexy has made friends with our IT girl.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Lexy told me that it happened about four years ago.”

He nodded. “I wonder if she’s the friend who taught her to hack.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. But she seems nice and she seemed to be really concerned for Lexy when she asked how she was doing.”

Dig pulled up to the house and Oliver got out. He jogged inside. “LEXY!”

Seconds later, Lexy came downstairs. “Yes, daddy?”

He looked at her face and realized she’d been crying. “Oh, baby, what’s wrong?”

“Grandma grounded me for the way I spoke to Dr, Bowen.”

He exhaled. “I’ll talk to her. Come on, I got a surprise for you.”

* * *

 

Lexy ran into Felicity’s office squealing, “Felicity!” before launching herself practically over Felicity’s desk.

“Whoa!” Felicity exclaimed catching her. She hugged her. “Hey, Sweetie. I’ve missed you!”

“Missed you too!” She hugged her back. “Daddy needs your help looking up an old friend.”

Felicity smirked. “And you couldn’t do it?”

She shrugged. “If I did it then it wouldn’t give daddy an excuse to have me come with him to see you.”

She nodded happily. “Good point.” She slid her eyes up to Oliver. “I should add "personal Internet researcher for Oliver Queen" to my job title. Happily, I mean.”

Oliver smiled. “His name is Derek Reston. We were close before I... went away. And I want to get back in touch.”

“I guess you didn't have Facebook on that island,” she countered.

“Nope. Not even a MySpace account. It was a very dark time.”

Lexy snickered. She looked at Dig. “Why, Mr. Diggle, do you have a MySpace?” she teased.

“I’ll never tell, Small Fry.”

“Well, there's not much here that's recent. No credit activity. No utility bills.”

“What is he one of those weirdos that lives off the grid?” Lexy asked.

Felicity laughed softly. “Could have.” She looked down at her laptop and clicked away. “Well, I guess you guys must have met at the factory.”

Oliver leaned forward. “Wait. What--what factory?”

“The Queen Steel Factory. Derek Reston worked there for 15 years until it shut down in '07.”

“Derek Reston worked for my father?”

“You weren't really close friends, huh?” She smirked for a moment. “It looks like Derek was the factory foreman until your dad outsourced production to China. About 1,500 employees got laid off. Looks like the finance guys even found a loophole in the union contract, so, they didn't have to pay severance packages and pensions to their employees. They all pretty much lost their homes. Including your friend.”

“Oh, that’s horrible!” Lexy exclaimed. “Grandpa wasn’t a really nice man, was he?”

Oliver blinked and looked at his daughter. “Not in business, no.”

* * *

 

The night of the CNRI Benefit Gala, Oliver knocked on Lexy’s door. He smiled when he saw her camped out on her bed reading. “Hey, Sweetheart.”

“Hi, daddy!”

“I have a question for you.”

“Shoot,” she said, marking her spot in her book.

“How would you like to be my date for the evening at the CNRI benefit?”

“Really?” she asked a little surprised. Truthfully, she was never allowed to go to fundraising events with her family. “Grandma doesn’t like me going to those.”

He smiled. “I’m your dad and I would love for you to be my date.”

She nodded. “Okay. Give me twenty minutes and I’ll be ready.”

He nodded. “Take your time. It’ll give me and Dig time to talk.”

She nodded. A little over the time she had said and Lexy was coming downstairs, smiling. Her blond hair was pulled into a slick ponytail and cascading down her back. She was wearing a simple black dress with 3” heels. Oliver smiled. “You look beautiful, Sweetheart.”

“Thanks, daddy.” She took her handbag with her other hand and looked up at her dad. “Daddy, can I have my checkbook, please?”

“For what, Sweetheart?”

“I was gonna ask you if it’d be okay to write a check for the benefit.”

He nodded. “Yeah, be right back. How much?”

“Um…..I don’t know.”

He nodded and headed upstairs. A few minutes later, he came down and handed the check to her. “Here you go.”

She looked at it. It was a check for $25,000 dollars. “Cool. Thanks, daddy.”

“You’re welcome, Baby. Just so you know that’s usually the Queen standard for donations.”

She nodded. “Okay. I’ll remember that.”

* * *

 

**-CNRI Benefit……**

Lexy looked around and smiled. “Nice turnout.”

Oliver chuckled. “Come on, Princess.”

Tommy walked over to them just as the DJ started playing MKTO’s Classic. He greeted Oliver and then looked at Lexy. “May I dance with you?”

She tilted her head up to Oliver and he nodded. She nodded and took his hand. They walked onto the floor and started dancing. She looked up at him. “What made you decide to dance with me, Tommy?”

“Because I was hoping to apologize to you for blowing you off,” he answered honestly.

“Tell me why and I may think about it.”

He laughed. “I blew you off,” he spun her around, “because you reminded me too much of your dad.”

“You’d think that’d be a good thing.”

He nodded. “I know, but….”

She smiled up at him. “I get it completely, Tommy.” She laughed as he spun her around again. “You know daddy told me the other night that if he could have told everyone about me from the beginning he would have made you my Godfather.”

He halted in that moment and stared down at her. “Really?”

She nodded. “Yeah. He said that he would have had you raising me instead of my grandparents, because you would have known how he would have wanted me raised.”

Tommy smiled and hugged her. “I would have been honored to be your Godfather, Lexy.”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

He took her back to Oliver and embraced the man. He held him as he whispered, “Thank you.”

He laughed. “It was just a dance, Tommy.”

“No, the other thing.”

Oliver looked from Tommy to his daughter and back again. “What?”

“I told him what you had told me about him being my Godfather.”

“Oh, yeah. You’re welcome, man. You’re my best friend, my brother. You’re the only one I would have trusted to care for her the way I would have wanted. Well, you and Laurel.” He seen his mother and excused himself.

Moments later, he was walking up to Lexy and Tommy. “Hey, do you think you could take her home for me? Something came up and I really need to go.”

Tommy nodded. “Absolutely.”

He tapped him on the shoulder. “Thank you.” He bent down to her level. “You be good for your Uncle Tommy, okay?”

She nodded. “Promise.” She hugged him and whispered, “Be careful.”

“Promise,” he answered back and ran out the door.

* * *

 

That night, after he fought the Royal Flush Gang, he went home and talked to his mother. She admitted she was lonely and other things. And then Oliver said, “I’m sorry to ruin this moment, but this week, there hasn’t been a really good time to say anything.”

“Yes?”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m Lexy’s father, correct?”

“Yes, according to the DNA test you are.”

“And did I not say that from the time that I got home that I’d take full responsibility of her?”

“You did.” She sipped her drink again. “What’s your point, Oliver?”

“My point is, mother, if my daughter needs to be disciplined, I’ll do it. Until then you are no longer allowed to do it.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. If you had your way she’d forever be locked in her room to never come out again. Well, no daughter—or children—of mine will be that way. She will be allowed at family functions, fundraisers and anything else I want her at, whether you want her to be or not. Because if she can’t be there then I won’t be there. From now on, think of Lexy and I as a package deal, got it?”

She nodded.

“Good.” He smiled. “You hungry. I promised Lexy some chili cheese fries.”

About 15 minutes later, all 3 of them sat in Big Belly Burger as the waitress dropped off their food. Lexy and Oliver watched as Moira picked up a knife and fork and tilted them like she was going to cut her burger.

“Grandma.”

“Mom,” Oliver laughed. “It’s okay to get your hands dirty sometimes.” He smiled. “For me. Please.”

She put the knife and fork down and picked up her burger, she took a bite. And literally right there in the place she had a food-gasm. Lexy smiled. “I don’t think I’ve known you to do that….ever, grandmother.”

She laughed. Lexy leaned forward and sipped her shake. “That’s good.” She smiled and shrugged. “Mom made better.”

“Your mom made shakes?” Moira asked.

“Yeah, She learned from my great-grandmother. Apparently great-great grandpa owned a restaurant and she learned how to make them there.”

As the night wore on, Moira seemed to change as they all talked and surprisingly she didn’t ignore Lexy when she spoke. When Oliver took them back home, Lexy headed up to bed, but Moira stopped her.

“Thank you for letting me come out with you and dad tonight.”

She smiled. “You’re always welcome, grandma. I had fun. And for the first time in five years I’m not lying about that.” She walked down the steps and leaned forward, kissing her grandmother’s cheek. “See you in the morning.” She walked to her dad and kissed his cheek. “See you in the morning. I love you, daddy.”

“I love you too, Sweetheart. Sleep well.”

Lexy climbed the stairs to her room and then shut the door after her. Moira walked into the living room and looked at Oliver. “I am so sorry.”

“For what?”

“She is actually a really wonderful little girl. Amazing actually. I’m so sorry I didn’t get to know her sooner.”

He smiled. She’s been here for five years, mom. You’ve had time, but you chose—”

“I know and I’m sorry. I just…..couldn’t.”

He smiled. “Make up for it now. She’s still young enough that you can build a relationship with her and be the grandmother I know you can be.”

“Do you think she’d want that?”

He smiled. “More than anything.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “Good night, mother.”

“Good night.”

He just hoped that they weren’t just words and she actually meant them.


	9. The Huntress' Vendetta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For this chapter it's a compilation of the episodes Muse of Fire and Vendetta.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again you all have my upmost thanks for all the reads and the comments. I hope you enjoy this one and I hope you are liking the way Lexy's shaping up.

Oliver goes to meet his mother for lunch and hears squealing of tires as a motorcycle roars up. He watches the cyclist as they struggle to pull something out of his pocket. Seeing that it was a gun, he yelled for his mother and the man she was speaking to get down. However, it would seem the bullet did hit the man and Moira ended up on the ground. He rushed to her. “Mom are you okay?”

She said yes as she sat up and then Oliver ran after the biker. He caught up to him enough to try and stop him, but a semi roared by before he could anything more than throw a rod at the tire.

* * *

 

Later, Dig and Oliver talk about taking a day off because of Moira’s shooting, but he tells him instead what he found out. Lexy comes down to the hideout and held out her arms and said, “Okay, I’m here. What’s so important?”

“Did you have plans?”

She shook her head. “Except me trying to explain to my kickboxing teacher why I wouldn’t be taking classes with him anymore.”

He laughed. “If you want I could do that.”

She nodded and then shrugged. “If you wanna.” She smiled. “So, what’s up?”

“Did you really want a job here? Something to do?”

She nodded. “Between training sessions, of course.”

He smiled. “Then until I feel you’re ready for some field work you can sit here,” he said and stood from his chair. “Use this.” He picked a head piece with a microphone. “And talk to me.”

She gasped. “Really?”

He nodded. “Yes, ma’am. You’ll be my eyes and ears all over the city.” He smiled. “Use those hacking skills your _friend_ taught you.”

She squealed happily and launched herself in his arms. “Thank you, daddy.”

He hugged her tight. “You’re welcome, Sweetheart.” He looked down at her. “Tonight, I’m gonna be going out, but I’ll be doing it alone, okay?”

She nodded. “Okay. Do you need me here?”

He shook his head. “No. However, I was thinking of starting your training.”

“With what?”

“Sticks,” he told her. He stood up. “Diggle told me you liked the sound of the metal rods and I thought if you liked that then I’ll teach you how to use them. Maybe that’ll be your weapon of choice if you want.”

“You mean I can have my pick?”

He nodded. “You can. There’s a bo, which we can customize for you. The sticks, we can customize those too and a bow and arrow.”

She nodded. “Just curious, will I learn how to use a gun too?”

He nodded. “You will. Just not today.” He waved her to follow him. “Come on. Let’s get started.”

* * *

 

**-Queen Mansion…..**

 

Oliver asks Thea to stay with Moira while he went out, saying it was important. She is angry, but starts heading up. Lexy walked in the room eating Ben & Jerry’s. She smiled at Tommy as he walked in. “Hi, Uncle Tommy.”

“Hey, Sweetheart.” He looked at Thea. “Nice dress. Where you going?”

“Upstairs apparently.”

Lexy cleared her mouth. “You know, Aunt Thea, if you really wanna go out I wouldn’t mind staying with grandma.”

Thea stopped and came back down. “What?”

“Yeah, daddy told me all that I would have to do is make sure she doesn’t stop breathing or lapse into a coma and I’m golden.”

Oliver laughed. “I didn’t exactly say that, but yeah.”

Thea looked at her surprised, “You’re absolutely sure?”

She nodded. She smiled and headed upstairs, tossing over her shoulder, “You’re not the only one in this family who knows where the skeleton key is hidden.”

She let out a little squeal and ran up the stairs, to hug Lexy. She ran back down. “Thanks, Lex! You rock!”

Lexy smiled. “You’re welcome!” She looked at dad and Uncle Tommy. “Good night.”

“’night, sweetheart. See you in the morning. Love you.”

“I love you.” She stopped at the first landing and looked down. “Uncle Tommy.”

“Yes?”

“Love you too, you know.”

He smiled. “Good night, Lexy.”

* * *

 

Lexy walked into her grandmother’s room and called out, “Grandma?”

“Yes, Lexy?”

She walked further inside and closed the door behind her. “I’m here to keep you company, if you don’t mind.”

She smiled. “Not at all.” She pulled back the covers and Lexy climbed in. She passed her the remote. “Watch whatever you want.”

She smiled and flipped the channels. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“What was grandpa Robert like? I mean, I hear rumors at school, but nothing anyone can actually tell me.”

She smiled. “Your grandfather was an amazing man. As a businessman, he could be stubborn, but as a man and a father he was amazing. He loved your father and Aunt Thea very much. Has your dad ever told you stories about what they used to do together?”

She shook her head. “No. I think it’s still hard for daddy to talk about him and if it’s hard for you I understand, but….”

“No. You have a right to know. He was your grandfather.” She smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Well, when your father was eight years old……”

* * *

 

Meanwhile Oliver and Helena Bertinelli were being seated at Russo’s. They started looking at their menus and Helena broke the silence by saying, “I heard about your mother's accident. Is he gonna be okay?”

“She's gonna be fine. Thanks.”

“I'm glad. So, why would you want to go into business with my father? You know who he is and how he made his money.”

“You don't approve of your family's enterprises?”

“We share a name, and that name defines us whether we want it to or not. You've already made judgments about me, just like I've already made judgments about you.”

“Right. I'm the rich man's Lindsay Lohan.”

She gasped softly. “Sorry.”

“That's okay.”

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Yeah.”

“I know it must have been hell for you, alone on that island for 5 years, but I'm...”

“But what?”

“But was there ever a day when you were just... Happy to be away from everything? No pressure from your family, no need to be the person everyone else expects you to be. Was there ever a day when—”

“When I didn't feel lost and I felt... free?”

She smiled.

“More than one, but then I thought of my daughter and I knew that I had to fight to get off that island if I ever wanted to see her again.”

Helena’s jaw fell open in shock. “Daughter? You have a daughter?”

He nodded, smiling proudly. “And she’s the center of my world.”

“Really? What’s her name?”

“Alexandra,” he answered. “Her mother and I dated for a little over a year.”

“So, you didn’t know she was pregnant?”

“No, I knew. I was there most of the time. Made all the appointments, well, most of them.”

“What happened to her mother?”

“Uh….she died in a plane crash five years ago. While I was gone, Lexy lived with my mother and sister.”

“Wow….” She smiled. “So, you’re a dad.”

He nodded. “I am.” He felt his phone buzz against his pec. “Excuse me.” He looked at the caller ID. “Speaking of which.” He smiled as he answered, “Hey, Sweetheart. Everything okay with grandma?”

“Yeah. Daddy, do you think while you’re out you could get me a cheesecake?”

He laughed. “I’ll definitely try.”

“Thank you, daddy.”

“You’re welcome, baby. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

He smiled and put his phone back in his pocket. “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t ever apologize for being there for your daughter. Sometimes I wish my father was there for me more.”

* * *

 

Later that night, Lexy had fallen asleep after Moira had told her stories of Robert and watched some television. A knock sounded at the door and Moira kept writing in her journal. “Thea, you don’t have to knock, Sweetheart.”

“What about me?” Malcolm Merlyn asked as he walked into the room. “I hope you don't mind. Thea let me in.”

“What are you doing here?” she demanded, putting a protective hand on Lexy.

“I wanted to see how your recovery was going?”

“Well, surely someone of your means has a telephone.”

“I like to see someone when I have something important to talk about. We used to be friends, Moira. I still remember that time. You, me, and Robert. Which is why I came by.” He sat on the bed. “You are a vital part of Starling City's future. Robert feared that future. He lost his conviction. It's been my experience that when someone has a brush with death like you experienced today, even their deepest held convictions can change. Have they?”

“No.”

“You didn't have to say it. I can see that they haven't.” He smiled at Lexy. “You have a very beautiful granddaughter, Moira.”

“Thank you,” she said curtly.

Merlyn left the room and Lexy laid there, pretending to be asleep but she couldn’t help but wonder why Malcolm Merlyn would be talking that way. What were they planning? And why was her grandmother involved?

* * *

 

That morning, Lexy went to school like she always had, but as she headed inside, she texted Felicity.

**[To Felicity]: Can I ask you for a favor?**

**[To Lexy]: Anything. What’s up?**

**[To Felicity]: Something’s going on with the high-powered bigwigs in this town and my grandmother’s involved. Could I come over to work on something with you today?**

**[To Lexy]: Sure. See you at 4:15?**

**[To Felicity]: Sounds great. See you then. Thank you.**

**[To Lexy]: You’re welcome, Sweetie.**

She quickly shot a text to her father and then headed into her first class.

* * *

 

At 4:15 that afternoon, Lexy headed over to Felicity’s apartment and knocked on the door. Felicity smiled as she opened the door. “Hey, Kiddo.”

“Hi.”

“So, what did you need to meet for?”

She proceeded to tell her everything that she knew, that she overheard Moira and Merlyn talking about. “I wanna know what they’re planning. And maybe if I get enough evidence Mr. Lance will investigate.”

Felicity’s head was spinning just by the sure magnitude of the information. “Sweetie, I love you, you know that, but do you really think investigating your grandmother and Mr. Merlyn’s….dealings is wise? I mean, we’re talking about some very powerful people, Lexy.”

The room fell silent for a moment as Lexy stared into Felicity’s eyes. “I have to try. The one thing that my mom always pushed was to follow my gut, my instincts, because they can never be wrong. Well, my gut is telling me that if Mr. Merlyn and whoever else is involved follows through with this plan a lot of people are going to get hurt and if that happens I’d feel responsible because I knew.”

Felicity studied her for a moment and then smiled. “All right. Let’s get started.”

“Are you saying you’re in this too?”

She nodded. “Yes, ma’am. If you’re gonna go in, so am I.” She smiled. “We’re a team, remember?”

* * *

 

Oliver got home that night and talked to Thea. She turned. “Oh, um….Lexy’s at Taylor’s for the night. She said that they were working on a project, so….”

He smiled and nodded. “Okay, good.” He kissed her cheek. “Good night.”

* * *

 

Lexy slowly walked down the stairs of the hideout later that afternoon to hear a female’s voice down here with her father. She watched in the shadows as her father attempted to teach the beautiful dark haired woman to shoot the bow.

“Uh-uh. Relax. Relax, relax, relax. Now, pull back gently. You need all 3 fingers to come off the bowstring at the same time. Relax. Breathe. And release.”

As he spoke she did everything and then released the arrow and it clattered to the floor. “This is a waste of time.”

“You’re not breathing.” Making her presence known was the tween’s intention and she stepped out of the shadows. “Hi, daddy.”

“Hey, Sweetheart. Helena, this is my daughter, Alexandra. Lexy, this is Helena Bertinelli.”

Lexy nodded. There was something about this woman she really was starting to feel uneasy about. “I know who you are. Nice to meet you.”

“You too, Alexandra. Your dad’s told me so much about you.”

She kept her polite smile in place as she tried to feel out the other woman. “You have to keep the bow level even after you release.”

“You know how to do this?”

She nodded. “Daddy’s been teaching me and before that I took Archery classes for three and half years.” She walked over to a crate and flipped it open. She pulled out her own bow and took an arrow from her father. “If you don’t keep the bow level the arrow will go to the floor.”

Oliver smiled. “Show her, Sweetheart.”

Lexy put the arrow in place and raised the bow. She leveled it, pulled back and released, the arrow hit directly on target. She turned back to Helena triumphantly. “If you breathe and remember to follow through you’ll always make the shot.”

Helena smiled. “Thank you, Alexandra.”

“You’re welcome.” She looked up at her father. “Daddy, may I use the salmon ladder?”

He nodded. “Sure, go ahead, Sweetheart. Just be careful.”

As Oliver’s telling Helena about his crusade, Diggle shows up and shuts down Helena almost immediately. She leaves.

“Hey, Dig.”

Diggle looked over to the workout area and saw Lexy balancing on the bar of the salmon ladder. “Hey, Lex. Looking good.”

Diggle walked to Oliver. “She knows my name. That's lovely.”

“You can trust her.”

“Except I don't.”

Lexy dropped down as she said, “I don’t either, daddy.”

Oliver looked at his daughter and then stared away again.

“You sleeping with this girl, Oliver?”

“Well, I don't think that's any of your business, Diggle.”

“It became my business when you brought me into this. And when I signed on, I told you I was gonna keep your head straight. Well, Oliver, you're lonely. Lonelier than you want to admit. And that's why you think you can change this girl, because you need to think you can. You're like a dope fiend who thinks he can deal with his own addiction by making another addict go straight. Oliver, what you do is dangerous. And getting confused about who's good and who's bad is a good way to get yourself dead.”

“You done?”

“Yeah, I'm done. With this. Everything else, I don't know. I don't know, Oliver. You tell me. However, remember that girl right there. Where is she going to go if you end up dead. You’ve nullified the guardianship papers with Moira, so what are you going to do?”

Lexy looked at her father as Diggle walked out. “Daddy, I know I have no right to say anything, but I’m going to anyway. My mom always did say that no one was going to know my feelings unless I showed them, so here’s me showing my feelings. I don’t like her.”

“You don’t know her.” He stood and started walking off.

“Do you?” She walked to her father. “Look, daddy, I may not know much about the whole boy-girl thing and what dating is or whatever, but I do know enough to know that you have to get to know someone. One date or two doesn’t not mean you know anyone. Mom told me that you guys went on quite a few dates before you did anything. And one date with this woman and you’re already hanging your entire mission on her?” She exhaled. “Mama always used to tell me that I could read people better than anyone she’s ever known—part of me being a cancer I guess. I’m intuitive. I have what mama called a sixth sense about people. Well, my sense about Helena is either way that woman will finish her mission, whatever it is and she’d finish you if you got in the way.”

Oliver looked at his daughter, and they both fell silent. “She won’t hurt me.”

“You’re wrong, daddy. I know it. I can feel it.” She picked up her jacket. “But hey, if you don’t wanna believe me, that’s fine. But I’m not gonna be here when she does.” She stopped on the stairs. “I lost mom, daddy, don’t make me lose you too.”

Before Oliver could stop her, Lexy was gone as she ran up the stairs.

* * *

 

After a failed double date with Laurel and Tommy, Oliver knows that Helena isn’t going to change and calls Diggle. Diggle meets him at the hideout and they talk. “It's not that I--it's not that I couldn't see it, Diggle. I didn't--I didn't want to. I'm living a double life, and to do that, I'm taking all these people that I love and I'm putting them at arm's length. I'm giving up a lot, so maybe-- maybe I thought the universe owed me one. But I looked in her eyes tonight, and I can't stop her from going over the edge. She's--she's already past it.”

Diggle looked at Oliver. “Do you honestly think it’d be so bad to lean on your little girl, Oliver? That girl has been waiting for five years to have you in her life and now that you are it’s like she’s hanging on for dear life because God forbid she loses you like she lost her mother.” He looked at his friend. “It’s okay to need her. It’s okay to let her in. It’s more than okay. I know you’re close and I know she knows about all this, but maybe it’s time to let her in a little more, let her see a little more.” A soft smile came to his lips. “All she wants is to be you in some way. She wants to make you proud. And she’s hoping that being a part of this will do that.”

Oliver exhaled. “Is it wrong of me to want her to be a little kid? Just for a little bit longer?”

He shook his head. “No, but Oliver, you have to realize your little girl has been living pretty much alone for five years. She’s a lot more mature than you want to believe she is. I think she could handle a little more responsibility. Whichever you choose.”

He exhaled again. “I’ll think about it, okay?”

He nodded. “I told her I’d talk to you and I did. So, my work here is done.”

He chuckled. He just hoped he wasn’t forcing his daughter into anything. That would destroy him not to mention her.


	10. Year's End

* * *

Oliver and Diggle were sparring with knives as Lexy looked on. It ended when Oliver’s knife sliced through his arm. “Another round?” Oliver asked, hopeful.

“No.”

Oliver nodded and looked at Lexy. “Disarm me.”

“What?” she asked a little surprised.

His smile widened. “Disarm. Me.”

“Daddy, I don’t—”

He tilted his head. “We’ve been working on it. We’ve been working on a lot of things. You know how to do this. I trust you and I believe that you can do it.” He straightened and pointed one of the knives at her. “Disarm me.”

She looked into her father’s eyes and immediately straightened. She used both hands, slapped his wrist with her right at the same time as she slapped his hand away with her left, immediately disarming him without breaking a sweat.

A triumphant smile spread across his lips and he hugged her as Diggle picked up the knife. “That’s my girl!” He kissed her cheek. “Good job, Sweetheart.”

“Thanks, daddy.”

“I’m taking my nephew to the mall to tell Santa what he wants for Christmas.”

“Oh. Christmas. I didn't even realize.”

“Daddy, you forgot Christmas?”

Oliver just smiled.

“That was because you've been logging in so many hood hours ever since that thing with Helena.”

“I meant...there were no holidays on the island. Every day was... How do I stay alive? To do that, you had to forget things, like Christmas. My dad threw a party every year, and he would put a Christmas tree in every room. The whole mansion smelled like... It smelled like Christmas.”

“Maybe you can give the list a rest and just enjoy the holidays with the family. Besides, I hear St. Nick has a list of his own. I wager you're in the "nice" column. Go home, Oliver. Enjoy the holiday with your little girl and make Christmas memories again.”

Oliver sat in his chair and thought for a moment before looking at Lexy and smiled. “Let’s go home, Sweetheart.”

* * *

 

When Oliver and Lexy get home, he asks Thea about the Christmas decorations and Thea explained that it wasn’t really something they did anymore. Lexy looked at her dad. “They’ve never done it since I’ve been here. I don’t even remember celebrating it.”

She and Oliver went upstairs to freshen up and Lexy changed out of her clothes and into a dress for the dinner party Moira and Walter were having. Apparently some of the town’s bigwigs were gonna be there along with Mr. Merlyn. Lexy came down a few minutes later, in a pretty pink dress and shoes. She walked over to her grandma and kissed her cheek. “Sorry, I’m late, grandmother—”

“Grandmother?” Moira asked a little surprised. Since she was shot at Lexy had started calling her ‘grandma’ and she had to admit she quite enjoyed it more than ‘grandmother’.

She looked at everyone at the table and then leaned forward to her ear to whisper, “Is that still appropriate, calling you ‘grandma’, I mean?”

Moira nodded. Lexy smiled. She looked at everyone at the table and then her grandma. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

“You made it that’s all that matters, Lexy,” Walter told her in his posh British accent.

She walked over to the empty chair next to her grandfather and before she sat she kissed his cheek. “Hello, grandpa.”

The people at the table continue to talk about the Hood Guy Vigilante. Malcolm looked at Lexy and asked, “What do you think, Alexandra?”

She blinked at him in surprise. “I’m sorry, sir?”

He smiled. “What do you think of the Hood Guy?”

She shrugged and sat her glass down. “Honestly?”

He nodded. “Please. A bit of childlike honesty would be refreshing.”

She glanced at her grandmother who nodded for her to go ahead. She sat back in her chair. “Well, honestly, Mr. Merlyn, I think that if crime in the city is actually down that much, then I would say it was a joint effort, even if SCPD is forced. I see them both as helping each other.”

The Commissioner looked at Lexy with a curious expression. “How do you mean, Alexandra.”

“Well, Commissioner, um….” she looked at her father and he just smiled which urged her on. “You can’t deny that the Vigilante has had an effect on the criminals in this town, which in my opinion makes the police force’s job much easier.” She shrugged. “And besides it’s not like Jason Brodour or Adam Hunt or any of the other men on the list hadn’t done something wrong. I mean, Mr. Brodour set up an innocent man to take the fall for Camille Declan’s murder and if it wasn’t for Him, Peter Declan would be dead right now.”

“How old are you?” the Commissioner asked.

“Um…almost eleven and half. Why, sir?”

“Well, how did you become so well versed in what’s going on? I thought kids your age were too busy with social media and whatnot.”

She laughed a little. “I probably would be if I had a social media life. The only thing I do have is an email account and that’s for school and one of my friends who’s really into computers. I have a cell phone and use it all the time, but not to surf the internet all that much.”

One of the wives looked at Oliver and Moira. “How did you do it?”

Oliver shrugged. “If you don’t raise her to be dependent on it then she will hardly use it.” He smiled. “I can’t be credited for that. That would be her mother.”

“Where is she?”

Lexy looked at everyone. “Dead. She died in a plane crash five years ago. Six months after daddy disappeared, actually.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Sweetie,” another wife said.

She nodded. Everyone always said that and it made her wonder if they actually meant it. “Thank you, ma’am,” she said politely.

* * *

 

The next day, Oliver insisted on spending the day with Lexy and Thea so they went to Big Belly Burger. “I think there should be a national holiday for the guy that invented French fries. Or at least a statue or something.”

“There is no Christmas party, is there?”

Thea didn’t say anything, just bent her head down to her fries.

“Thea, dad threw one of these every year. Do people think I just wasn't gonna notice?”

“Hi, Thea.”

Lexy leaned into her dad and said, “I think they were hoping you would.”

“Hi. Shane,” Thea said. “This is my brother Oliver. And my niece, Alexandra.”

“Nice to meet you, Thea's brother. Alexandra. I bet the food on that island is better than this stuff they're serving here, huh?”

“You'd lose that bet.”

Lexy snickered.

“We're heading down to the bay to hang out if you want to come.”

“Thanks, but I'm spending the afternoon with my brother and niece.”

“Another time. See ya.”

“How do you know that Shane guy?”

Lex laughed. “Daddy.”

“We rob banks and smoke crack together.”

“That's funny, yeah. I have a feeling I'm not gonna be a fan.”

“You don't even know him. Let's change the subject.”

“Fine. You were gonna tell me why we're not having the annual Christmas party.”

“When you and dad disappeared, by the time Christmas rolled around, none of us felt much like celebrating, so we kind of skipped Christmas that year. Every year. And it's really fine, so...”

“No. No, it's really not.”

Lexy gasped. “So, we’re gonna celebrate this year?”

He nodded. “Goofy pajamas and all.”

Lexy squealed and hugged her father around the neck. “Yay! Thank you, daddy!”

He laughed. “I take you like Christmas?”

“Like? It’s one of my favorite holidays. That and Thanksgiving.”

He kissed her temple. “Well, I’m glad I could help.”

* * *

 

After lunch, they head on home and Oliver decides to make a family announcement. “We're celebrating Christmas. I went 5 years without it, and then Thea tells me that you guys didn't have it either and I'm the reason. So maybe now I can be the reason we have Christmas again. I thought I would throw the Queen Christmas party.”

“You?”

“I know that I haven't been the son or the stepson or the brother or even the father that all of you deserve. Especially lately. But this feels like the right moment to start making up for lost time. What do you say?”

“I say yes.”

“Yes! Okay. I will take care of everything. You don't have to do anything. Just show up, look fantastic, and bring some Christmas cheer, okay?”

“Okay.”

He eyed Thea. “Fine,” she said.

“You're a good man, Oliver.”

* * *

 

Oliver walked into Lexy’s room and knelt down in front of her. “Hey, I’m going to go see Felicity. Wanna come with me?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Let me grab something first and then we can go.”

“Okay, take your time.”

About 20 minutes later, they were down in the IT department of Queen Consolidated. Lexy waved happily and frantically. “Hi, Felicity.”

She smiled. “Hi, Lex. How are you?” She looked at Oliver. “What can I do for you?”

“My buddy Steve is really into archery. Apparently it's all the rage now.”

“I don't know why. It's looks utterly ridiculous to me.”

“Mm-hmm. Anyway, it's Steve's birthday next weekend, and I wanted to buy him some arrows. The thing is, he gets these special custom-made arrows, and I have no idea where he gets them. I was hoping you could find out where this came from.” He pulled the arrow back from her fingers. “Careful.”

“Yeah. The shaft's composite is patented. And that patent is registered to a company called Sagittarius. That's Latin for the archer.”

“Really? Could you find out where and when this was purchased?”

“According to Sagittarius company records, that particular arrow was part of a bundle shipment. 200 units. Sent... to this address.”

“Felicity... You're remarkable.”

“Thank you for remarking on it.”

“And Merry Christmas.”

“I'm Jewish.”

“Happy Hanukkah.”

“Oh!” Lexy exclaimed. “I almost forgot!” She held up her bag. “These are for you.”

Felicity looked at her curiously. Lexy smiled. “I read in a book that you open presents for 8 days leading up to Hanukkah. So, I thought….”

Felicity put a hand to her heart. “Aww…..Sweetie, that was very sweet of you.”

She shrugged. “Think of it also as a thank you for haboring me and all that.”

Oliver stopped and looked between the 2 girls. “What do you mean harboring?”

She shrugged. “After Fe and I became friends, sometimes when I would feel lonely and didn’t want to go home I’d go to her house and she’d let me stay for a couple of days. Then I would go back and grandma, grandpa and Aunt Thea hadn’t even noticed I was gone. The only one that seemed to worry was Raisa.”

Oliver looked at Felicity. “You took care of my daughter?”

She nodded, pushing her glasses up on her nose. “Someone had to when your family wouldn’t.” She looked at Lexy and then back at Oliver. “She was just a little girl.”

He smiled and looked at her. “Thank you.”

She blinked up at him. “Uh….y-y-y-you’re welcome.” She smiled. “Anytime.”

* * *

 

The night of the party, as always Oliver was running late. He quickly ran a couple of gifts upstairs to his room to give Lexy later and then came back down to join the party. He found everyone in the living room mingling except Lexy. She was standing off with her back against one of the large windows. She looked beautiful in a maroon colored one-shouldered dress. He excused himself from Moira, Walter and Thea and walked over to her. “Hey. What are you doing way over here?”

She shrugged.

“Lex, Sweetheart, what is it?”

“This is the first time in five years that we’re celebrating Christmas. I’m afraid something’s gonna happen and I’ll wake up and you won’t be here and grandma will be back to treating me the way she had and Aunt Thea—”

“Hey, I promise you. I’m as rule as I could be.” He smiled. “Will you wait here, please?”

She nodded. He walked over to the DJ that he had hired to keep the music flowing and handed him a disc. Lexy watched him as he talked to him about something and then a soft upbeat song began filling the room. He walked over to her and held out his hand. “Dance with me?”

She nodded and he put her in his arms and twirled her out to the dance floor. “Do you know why I picked this song?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Because it was a song your mom and I danced to all the time. Being from the world we’re from we had one major thing in common—we wanted the simple things.” He shrugged. “I guess you could say it became our song.”

She laughed. “That explains why mama sang it to me all the time. I just thought she loved the song that much.”

He laughed. “She did. But she wanted you to have those simple things too. And I’m sorry I wasn’t around more. That is one of my biggest regrets in my life. And there is nothing I could do or say to take those years back, but I promise you here and now, with your mom in spirit, that I will try really hard to give you everything she and I never had.”

“Like what?”

He smiled. “Movie nights in your parents bedroom. Um…..a carnival. Going to the beach.” He exhaled. “The reason why I’ve been reluctant to have you help me with our project is because I didn’t want you to grow up so fast, because taking on what I have is a huge responsibility. However, Diggle reminded me that despite me wanting you to be a kid, you never actually were. So, we’ll talk about it more okay?”

She nodded. He looked up and saw Thea sinking off with Shane to her room. After the song finished with his daughter, he hugged her, kissed her cheek and whispered, “I love you. You are the best part of me and never forget that.”

He went upstairs to break up what was about to happen between Thea and Shane. He got pulled away by Diggle and just as he approached the chairs, Lexy walked in, shutting the door behind her. “What is it?”

“The other archer has taken hostages.”

They listened to one of the hostages reading the Other Archer’s messages. Lexy looked at her father. “What do we do?” She seen the look in her father’s eye and she sighed. “Look, daddy, I wanna help. Please.”

He exhaled. He had a feeling he might regret this, but he walked over to his bed and picked up a semi-small wrapped box. “I bought this for you and some other things to show you that you were going to be a part of the team. I guess now’s a good time as any.”

She opened it quickly and gasped. “A Bluetooth earpiece?”

He nodded. “Felicity told me it was the top of the line, state-of-the-art and I’ve already synced it to everything. The computers, your phone, my phone and Dig’s phone. This way you can really be the eyes and ears of the team without giving me a heart attack yet.”

She laughed and hugged him. “Thank you, daddy. I love it.”

* * *

 

They go to the hideout and Lexy takes her seat at the computers and turns her Bluetooth on. She began her hacking skills and hacked into the security cameras. “Daddy.”

He walked over and looked over her shoulder. She pointed at the screen. “There’s cops surrounding the area. As to be expected, but if you use your grappling hook arrow you can go above them. Get inside and get the hostages out. You get them to the roof and the SCPD will see them and get them down.”

“Good plan,” he said and kissed her hair. “Great job, Sweetheart.”

She spun in her chair. “Daddy.”

“Yes, Baby?”

“Be careful. We don’t know what this Dark Archer—that’s what I’m calling him, get used to it—wants from you. So, please, be careful.”

He nodded. “I promise.”

* * *

 

He had done the plan exactly as Lexy had suggested and fought the other archer too. From her position at mission control—as she’s calling it now—Lexy could see something, a shadow or something as the helicopter flew over head of the warehouse. “Dig, I think daddy’s hurt!”

Dig rushed to the computer and looked at the screen that she was looking at. “Okay, come on, Small Fry. Let’s go get your dad.”

They rushed him to the hospital and Dig called Moira and Thea. He told them that Oliver got hurt on his motorcycle. The family comes in and Lexy hugs her father gently.

Later, after Moira, Thea and Walter have left, Dig and Lexy stay to keep Oliver company. “You know, Dig, when I confront somebody on the list, I tell them that they failed the city. But tonight, it was me who failed.”

“No, daddy, you didn’t fail.”

“Oliver, Lexy’s right. Five hostages are home tonight with their families enjoying the holidays. Because of you. This guy, the other archer... He'll get his. And you'll give it to him.”

“We might have a bigger problem. The other archer told me that somebody compiled the list. I always assumed it was my father. But what if it wasn't?”

“What do you mean? I think there's someone else out there. Someone who's more of a danger than the archer. And I am going to take him down.”

And Lexy vowed to help him. Even if that meant getting more classes until her father’s healed.


	11. Merry Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Day.....Lexy gets everything's she's gonna need to be apart of Team Hood....well, almost everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I came up with what the batons could do BEFORE I realized some of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Mockingbird's baton abilities.

Christmas Day.

He hadn’t thought about this day in 5 years and now he had a better reason as any to bring the traditions back. The little girl that was sleeping on the chaise lounge in his room. She had fallen asleep while they were watching Christmas movies. Apparently, it was a tradition her and Janine to watch _Meet Me in St. Louis_ and _A Christmas Story_ on Christmas Eve. So, that’s exactly what they had done and he had to admit he enjoyed it immensely.

He glanced at the clock on the nightstand and noted the time. It’d be the perfect time to wake her to have her open the presents he and Diggle had bought for her being a part of the team. It still made him extremely nervous and protective to have her out in the field but she was adapting so well and she was learning everything so quickly that he knew it would be soon….very soon.

In the short time that he’d been taking care of her he had fallen hard for the spirited little girl and absolutely adored her. He’d never admit it out loud, but the girl had him wrapped around her finger…and she knew it. It’d been a few days since the experience with the Dark Archer and within those days he and Lexy had bonded even closer. And he’d forever be thankful for that.

He knew after the Holidays that their training sessions would start back up and he had decided to go a little harder on her this time. It was time. She’d had a few months of him covering the basics, now it was time to do the other stuff. And he knew what he wanted to teach her. She was quickly becoming an expert with the batons that he trained with her with. And he knew when she opened one of her presents that they’d be training for a few weeks with the customized batons he had gotten her for Christmas.

After some more training, he knew he’d let her out in the field with him. He already had it planned out of when he would let her out with him and if she continued to progress the she is he would let her out sooner than he had planned. None of her field work was going to put her in any real danger, yet. That he would see to. Which meant that she’d never go up against the Dark Archer and if he deemed it too dangerous she wouldn’t go out, but she would join him on some dangerous missions too.

He knew the dangers of having his only child out in the field with him, but she was so determined and he knew that she’d do it anyway. So, in his opinion as long as she was with him then he knew she’d be safe. He sighed and continued to stare out the window. It was a hard decision, but he knew in the end it was something she wanted.

Lexy wanted to be able to help people and she wanted to do it while fighting alongside of him, so…..he knew that even though it was making him extremely nervous and anxious, he was making the right decision. He sighed again and then walked over to his daughter. He knelt down beside her and brushed his forefinger against her cheek. “Wake up, Princess. It’s Christmas.”

Lexy blue eyes fluttered open and she looked up at her father groggily. “Mmm….daddy.”

“Hey, Sweetheart. Come on, let’s open presents. There’s some that you can’t open in front of Aunt Thea and grandma.”

She nodded and sat up, rubbing her eyes. She stretched and stayed seated on the chaise as her father placed a long box about the size of a flower box on her lap. She quickly unwrapped it and opened the lid. She knew immediately what they were and screeched happily.

He laughed and hugged her as she launched herself in his arms. He pulled her back and took them from her. “I had these custom made to fit you and the best part is the people who made them can readjust them as you mature with your fighting style.”

She nodded, listening intently. She didn’t want to get anything wrong when it came to these things. She knew she was becoming almost as good with these as her dad was with a bow and arrow. So, if she didn’t listen it was going to put her dad, Dig and others in danger.

He smiled as he continued. “Now, if you take the ends here and here,” he put his hands in position and put them together, the technology that is built inside will catch and then you turn it and you’re locked in place to Bo fight someone.”

She nodded, her eyes never leaving the batons. “How do I pull them apart from that position?”

He then twisted and them pulled. They were two batons again. “Okay, Lexy, I want you to pay attention okay.” He pointed at the ends facing her. “See that green inside there?”

She nodded.

“That’s the electrodes I had them put inside them. We’ll practice using these, but….if you ever get cornered or something press either of them or both into the assailant and it’ll shoot about a thousand to over hundred thousand volts of electricity through someone.” He showed her how to turn it on. It was basically a flick of the wrists. “Now….the part that I think you’ll enjoy.” He smiled at her knowingly. “These can sing.”

“Sing?”

“Yep. And all it will take for you to turn them on is a certain amount of your hand pressure—this is why I said that we’ll customize them as you mature with your fighting style—and they will emit a supersonic scream.” He showed her the position of her hands to make them do that.

She laughed. “What made you think of that?”

“Well, you said you liked the rods because you liked how they ‘sing’ and it got me thinking if there was a way to make them sing when you wanted them to. So, I had them made. But don’t turn them on in enclosed spaces unless you don’t have a choice. The sound that comes out of these could either make the person’s ears bleed or blast out a wall. Depending on what you’re aiming for.”

She smiled and took the batons from her father. In her hands they felt heavy enough to do damage, but light enough for her to carry them around. And being that she was eleven that meant something. Because as her father and Dig keep telling her she’s getting stronger, but she’d need all the help she could get with her frame and everything. The circumference of the batons was about the size of a thick cane.

“How do they feel?”

She held them where she couldn’t set off the screaming and squeezed to give her father accurate description. She smiled and looked at him. “They feel really good daddy. I LOVE them! Thank you.” She put them in the box and hugged him. “Thank you.”

He handed 2 more things. One was the size of a shoe box and the other was big enough to hold something small. She opened the small one first. Inside was a green eye mask. She smirked. “Green, daddy, really?”

He laughed and shrugged. “You are my daughter.”

She laughed. “Is this to conceal my true identity?”

He nodded. She tilted her head curiously. “How come you don’t wear one?”

He shrugged. “Just never have. Open the other box.”

She opened it and moved the tissue paper. She smiled when she pulled out the black combat boots. The had about a 2” heel and traction for days. “Oh! I love them!”

He smiled. “Good. Now, these have shock absorbers in them for jumping and what not. The traction on the bottom will help you to be able to climb and do whatever you need.”

She nodded. “Okay, cool!”

He smiled. They continued the mysterious present opening and seen what Dig had given her—basically spy stuff. Lexy was finally feeling like this was actually happening and she was ecstatic.

She couldn’t wait to use any of it for the first time.


	12. Burned

A few weeks after Christmas, Lexy walked into the Hideout and watched as her father did the salmon ladder expertly. “Hey, daddy, I was thinking of codenames if we decide to use them.”

“Codenames?” He asked as he jumped to another wrung on the ladder.

“Yeah. You’ve got the Hood—which I know you don’t like, but, I don’t have one and I can’t very well be mysterious forever, because I hate to say this but Detective Lance and SCPD have no imagination when it comes to superhero names.”

He chuckled as he pulled himself up. “Okay. So, whatcha thinkin’?”

“I don’t know. I was thinking of a bird name because of my batons, but…..wasn’t sure how you’d feel about it. With everything now, I’d understand completely if you didn’t—”

“Lex, you’ll get out there with me. Don’t be so eager right now. I’m not hundred percent yet, so we have time. Even though, you are doing incredibly well. I’m very proud of you.”

“Thank you, daddy. How you feeling?”

“Better. Much better,” he answered honestly hoping off of the ladder.

Much later, Dig showed up wondering how Oliver’s doing too. They talk about Walter. No one’s heard anything. Dig tries to get him to start the crusade again but Oliver tells him that his family needs him.

“Why daddy? I mean, I’d understand Aunt Thea, but Grandma won’t come out of her room to even talk to anyone.”

“I know, Sweetheart, but until Walter’s back I’m the man of the house.”

Lexy slid her curious eyes to Dig and then looked at her father a little confused. “Come again?”

He laughed. “I’m the man of the house. I’m the guy that everyone leans on.”

She nodded. “Right.” She looked at Diggle. “Hey, wanna help me work out? I wanted to play with my batons.”

He chuckled. Ever since Oliver had gotten her those batons for Christmas she’s been practicing with them non-stop. “Sure. Just give me a minute, okay?”

Oliver smiled. “Now, remember, Lex, while practicing with those don’t hit too hard and don’t use the scream, okay?”

She nodded. “I know, daddy.”

* * *

 

Oliver, Lexy and Thea sat in the living room getting read to watch a movie. Lexy was folded up in one of the upholstered chairs devouring her chili cheese fries. Oliver and Thea sat on the couch together. “I’ve seen the movie before.”

“Cut me some slack. I've been gone for a while and apparently I missed the cinematic genius that is Zac Galafinak...is?”

Lexy laughed around her fries.

“I mean, with mom, when you and dad disappeared, she spent more and more time at home. Eventually stopped going out altogether.”

“What snapped her out of it that time?”

“Walter. One morning, he showed up and, you know, when he gets all British and stern-like. "Moira, get dressed. We're going out for lunch." And, I mean, it worked.”

“Hmm.”

“You know, I've been thinking. Maybe Walter wasn't abducted. Maybe he's having some mid-life crisis and he's with some stewardess in Bora Bora, and he's too ashamed to call home and say that he's okay. Just because we haven't heard from him doesn't mean he's... he's gone, right?”

“Right.”

“It’s better than the theory I had.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket and sat it on the arm of the chair. “I was talking to Taylor we started coming up with some whacky theories. The one she said was funny.” She smiled. “He’s having an Indiana Jones Adventure mid-life crisis and is now trying to find the crystal skulls.”

They laughed. Lexy’s phone vibrated on the arm and she picked it up looking at the message:

**[To Lexy]: We need to talk. It’s about Walter. I have something I need to know if your family would need it.**

**[To Felicity]: Okay. I can meet you at BBB after school. Say 4:45?**

**[To Lexy]: That’s great! See you then. Love ya.**

**[To Felicity]: See you tomorrow. Love you.**

Oliver looked at his daughter curiously. “Everything okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah, everything’s fine.” She placed her phone on the table. “So, are we going to watch this movie or what?”

Oliver handed it over to her. “Put it in, Sweetheart.”

She unfolded herself from the chair and walked to the player. She put it in and the DVD immediately fired up.

* * *

 

After school the next day, Lexy walked into Big Belly Burger in another of her Christmas presents. This one was from her Aunt Thea and it was a ‘moto’ jacket, a sage-moss green colored one. And she wore the Christmas present from her dad, her black combat boots. She looked around the restaurant but she didn’t see Felicity anywhere. So, she found a seat near the window and waited.

After about a 10 minute wait, Felicity walked into the restaurant and sat down. She smiled at the little girl and then noticed her hair. “You cut your hair?”

She nodded. “Not by much. But my hair was getting too long, so…..” she smiled at her friend. “So, what’s up?

Before Felicity answered, she observed the little girl. She seemed different. She seemed happy, more confident and there was something about her that told Felicity that she was different. “You seem different.”

“Different how?” she asked.

“More confident, self-assured.”

She smiled. “That’s because I am.” She shrugged. “I guess daddy’s a good influence on me.”

“The Billionaire Playboy is a good influence?” She reached over and touched her hand. “Oh, honey—”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “He’s not like he was before he left for the yacht. Even Aunt Thea says he’s changed and she’d known better than anyone, right?”

“Right,” she said a little suspiciously. She took something out of her purse and slid it across the table.

Lexy’s eyes narrowed in curiosity. “What is this?”

“Open it and find out.”

She flipped it open. Thank God for her after-school lessons with her father—especially the ones about learning how to lie and be good at it. She looked at Felicity. “What is it?”

“It’s a list of names. To what I don’t know, but there are a few names on there that the Vigilante has killed.”

“Really?” she asked acting like she was surprised by that. “Okay. What’s grandpa doing with it?”

“He gave it to me. He said that your grandmother had it.”

“Hmmm…..I don’t know. When did you get it?”

“Your grandfather had me try to figure out how to get the writing up. It’s heat by the way.”

Lexy looked at her curiously. She already knew this part of the story. Her dad told her. “You mean it was invisible ink?”

She nodded. “Heat brought it up to reveal the names.”

“How long was it when grandpa went missing and when he gave this to you?”

“Um…..a few days maybe.”

She nodded. “Um…..it might be important, but I really wouldn’t know.” The table fell silent. What broke it was the ringing of Lexy’s phone. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and looked at the caller ID. She smiled at her. “Sorry. I gotta take it. It’s dad.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

She stepped outside and answered, “Hey, daddy, what’s up?”

“Hey, Sweetheart. I’m helping Laurel out with something. Wanna help me?”

“Yeah!”

“Okay. Meet me back at the mansion later and I’ll show you what she gave me. Love you.”

“I love you too. Bye.”

* * *

 

The next day was a teacher in service for Lexy so she went to the hideout with her dad that day. They went downstairs to find Diggle doing power punches and kicks.

“You need to rotate your hips, Diggle. That's where the power comes from. It's not just your arms, even if they're the size of bowling balls.” He snickered. “Laurel reached out to the Hood last night.”

Lexy walked to the computer. “Daddy. What’s the date?” She turned back to the computer.

Oliver rattled the dates off and Lexy started typing.

“Really? Thought the Vigilante spooked her pretty well last time.”

“She thinks somebody's killing firemen.”

“It looks all in the job. Seems pretty thin.”

“We look into it?”

“Yeah. I have a friend who has a friend in the fire investigations department. I'll reach out.”

“And I’m gonna hack the traffic cameras and see if there was anything happening before the fire.”

Oliver nodded. He looked at them both. “If you get any leads, tip the police.”

“The police?”

“Why?” Lexy asked at the same time.

“They just need something to jump start them.”

“Well, isn't the whole idea of being a vigilante, is that you do the police's job?”

Oliver didn’t say anything and Lexy sighed.

“You know, Oliver, you've been spending a lot of time around here lately. I thought after six weeks, you'd be anxious to hood up. Hell, I even prepared the "you got to slow down" speech.”

“ _Where the hell is everybody?!_ ”

Both Lexy and Oliver looked up when they heard Tommy yelling. Oliver waved her to follow him. They go upstairs and see Tommy in full ‘general manager’ mode. “You know, I do realize that it's difficult for you to manage my nightclub, what with there not being an actual nightclub here.”

“Yeah, I just took the liberty of yelling at our contractor. I told him if we didn't see any real progress, we were going to bring someone else in to finish the job.”

“Good. How's Laurel's friend? The one whose brother was a fireman?”

“She is hanging in there, thanks. I have something I wanted to bring up. I was thinking that we could throw a fundraiser for the fire department. Raise some money for the families.”

“That's a great idea.”

“Yeah, um….” she looked at Oliver. “Can I donate?”

He nodded. “Absolutely.”

Tommy winked at the 4’ 11” girl and then looked at Oliver. “We could do it here. We could keep the overhead low, make sure we maximize the proceeds to the firemen.”

“Who are you? Where's my friend Tommy Merlin? The guy who once rented out a pro football stadium so that he could play strip kickball with models.”

“That guy needed a swift kick in his lazy ass.” He smiled.

“You know what would look cool?”

“What?” Tommy and Oliver said in unison.

“Silhouettes of firefighters as part of the décor, maybe as they enter, they’re holding hoses and stuff.”

They go home and Moira’s listening to the COO of Queen Consolidated try to tell her that they need a Queen in the chair to run the business. She turns him down and after Oliver tries to encourage it also, she walks out. Diggle walked in moments later and lied to Oliver about a dentist appointment.

They walk out, Lexy trailing behind them, listening.

“Eyewitnesses place a '72 Ford pick up at the scene of Danny de La Vega's fire.”

“Okay.”

“Stagg Chemical lit up ten minutes ago. I hacked into Stagg's video security feeds. Parked right on the street running along the plant.”

“Same pick up.”

“I got your gear in the car. Oliver, by the time I get someone on the phone who will even listen to me, at least one of those fireman are going to be dead. They need the man in the hood.”

“Daddy, I’ll go with you.”

He looked at Lexy and then looked away. He exhaled. “No, Sweetheart. Thank you, but it’s not necessary.”

Oliver tried to go and help the firefighters but he seized up and didn’t fight well. Now, he sat in the hideout on the floor. Lexy walked over to him, kneeling down. “Daddy? Daddy, are you okay?”

He came back from his mind wandering and he looked at his daughter. “Huh?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m okay. I guess.” He pulled out his cell phone and called Laurel back. He told her everything.

* * *

 

“So Laurel's on her own against a murderer who burns people alive?”

“I can't right every wrong in this city.”

“No, I get that, Oliver. But maybe you're not back to 100% like you thought.”

“Maybe I'm not.”

Lexy backs away as Diggle subdues her father and he returns the favor and slams him on the desk. “What did that prove?”

“This is one sturdy desk.”

She snickered. She held up a hand. “Sorry.” She stifled her laugh.

“And clearly, your problem isn't physical.”

“I never said I had a problem!”

“Daddy.”

“You didn't have to, Oliver. But this guy, the other archer, he got in your head, he took something from you.”

“That's enough.”

“No, daddy, he’s right.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “I’ve noticed and you know if I’ve noticed it it’s a problem.”

Dig nodded. “He took whatever's in your heart that lets you jump off buildings and take down bad guys.”

“Thank you for the analysis.”

Lexy folded her arms over her chest.

“You can avoid Laurel, Oliver, avoid me, avoid this, as long as you want. But until you're ready to take a hold of the fear that's in you, you might as well let that archer kill you.”

His phone beeped and he looked at his phone. “Text from Tommy. I need to run an errand for the benefit at the firemen's station.”

“Maybe while you're at it, you can let me know if you still want to be a vigilante or just a nightclub owner.”

Oliver stopped at the stairs. “Alexandra.”

“Yes, dad.”

“Training, now. No batons. Physical training.”

She nodded and walked over to the workout area. “What does he mean by physical training? Working out with my batons is work, Dig.”

He nodded. “It is and you’re amazing at it, but what he means is get your strength, stamina and endurance up. Doing this job isn’t easy. And if neither of those things are up to par then your dad’s not going to let you out in the field.” He smiled. “So, lets do this.”

She smiled and nodded.

* * *

 

-The Night of the Benefit…..

“I thought you were done helping Laurel?”

“I’m waiting for Lexy to finish getting ready.” He continued to stare at the screen. “The first firefighter to die was Garfield Lynns.”

“Well, being dead kind of rules him out as a murder suspect, right?”

Oliver chuckled.

“Oliver... [Sighs] I'm sorry I came at you so hard, man. But I've been there. I know what it's like to stare death in the face and...be the one who blinks.”

“That's not it. I've...” He exhaled. “I've been close to death. On the island... More times than I can remember, and I never feared it. 'Cause I had nothing to lose. But when that archer almost killed me; when I... stared death in the face then, I thought about all the people that I've let into my life since I've been back. My family, Laurel, Tommy……Lexy. God, Lexy. And that made me afraid. Afraid of what would happen to those people if they lost me--again. And for the first time in so long, I had something to lose.”

“Well, you got it backwards, Oliver. You think the people you let in are taking your edge. I think it gives you one. Maybe a stronger one. You can stare down death with something to live for or not. Something to live for... is better.”

Lexy walked in and spun. “Whatcha think?”

Oliver smiled. “Absolutely gorgeous, Baby.” He pulled her to him and looked at Dig. “All the men in the unit had an alibi for Danny's murder. The guy that I fought had a firefly tattoo and his arm was severely burned.”

“Okay. I don't see where you're going with this.”

“The Nodell Tower fire. Some of the bodies were so badly burned, they couldn't even be IDed off dental records. What if Garfield Lynns didn't die, but was just presumed dead?”

“And what? He’s after his old team because they left him behind?” Lexy asked.

Oliver smiled, hugged her and nodded. “That’s my guess, Baby.”

* * *

 

They walked into the benefit and Lexy pulled the check out of her handbag. “Daddy, who do I give it to?”

“That guy over there standing at that kiosk thing.” He pointed for her.

“Okay. Will you go with me?”

“Of course. I know you can take of yourself and everything, but you’re not getting out my sight tonight. Not with Lynns around.”

She nodded and then looked up. “Ooh! There’s Uncle Tommy!” She took off and yelled, “Uncle Tommy!”

Tommy turned around, picked her up and hugged her close. “There’s my girl.” He tapped his cheek and she dutifully kissed it. “Thank you.” He looked at Laurel. “Got kissed by two beautiful women tonight. Jealous?”

She laughed. “Not at all.”

“Can I borrow Laurel for a second?”

“Absolutely.”

Lexy handed him the check. “Please give that to the chief. Uncle Tommy and I are going to go dance.”

He nodded. He and Laurel walked over to the kiosk thing where the chief stood. Oliver spoke. “Chief Raynes. Hi.”

“Mr. Queen, this is spectacular. Ahh. The Starling City Firemen's Relief Association can't thank you enough.”

“You guys are the real heroes.” He smiled. “In fact, here. My daughter wanted to donate too.”

Chief smiled. “Oh. Tell your daughter thank you. I didn’t know you had a daughter.”

“Not many did,” Oliver answered. “She’s eleven and about to be thirty.”

They laughed. He smiled. “However, I’ve been reading about the guys who went into the Nodell Tower fire. I've been reading up on.”

“Oh, yeah?” Raynes wasn’t liking where this was going.

“Garfield Lynns was the first man to die in your unit. Now, I read that they recovered his coat in the wreckage, but they never found his body?”

“You always interrogate your club's guests, Mr. Queen?”

“Why? Do you feel like you're being interrogated?”

“You could see it on your face at the fire station. There's more to the Nodell Tower fire than people know about, isn't there?”

“I've been doing this a long time and I've never seen a fire like that. It's like some monster out of a science fiction movie. I radioed for my men to get the hell out of there. But Lynns, he wouldn't go. Begged me to send the unit back in. But I wouldn't do it. I couldn't. God help me, I left him to burn. But I can't bring him back.”

“You don't have to. He is back.”

Lexy turned and started walking, bumping into a man dressed in firemen’s gear. She gasped and stepped back. She looked up and saw half of his face was gone. “Oh, crap!” She backed up and ran toward Dig. She grabbed his hand and pulled him down to her level. “He’s here!” she whispered.

Meanwhile back where her father and Laurel were, Raynes looked at him confused. “What the hell you talkin' about?”

“Garfield Lynns killed Danny. And the other men on your unit,” Laurel told him.

“There's no way he could have survived that fire.”

“You'd be surprised the power revenge can give you.”

Dig and Lexy watch Lynns set the club on fire and he looked at her. “Help with crowd control, Small Fry.”

She nodded and walked over to a group of people. She grabbed the older woman that had stopped Lynns and smiled at her. “Come on, ma’am lets get you out of here.”

She ushered her and the others to Diggle’s door and he waved them outside.

“Lexy!”

She turned. “Uncle Tommy!”

“Where’s Laurel?”

“Uh….still talking to Chief Raynes with daddy.”

Dig looked at Lexy. “We gotta get you out of here.”

“No! I wanted to help—”

“I know, Sweetie, but if Tommy doesn’t see you outside when he goes out he’ll freak and your cover may be blown before you even get it started. Please go.”

She nodded and headed out.

* * *

 

Oliver, Lexy and Thea sat in the living room. Oliver and Lexy were listening to the news.

“ _Eyewitnesses contend that numerous lives would have been lost if not for the timely intervention of the Vigilante. But these were not the actions of a vigilante. What's been described are the actions of a hero_.”

Lexy flashed her father’s smile. And Oliver smiled too, shutting the TV off.

“What's got you all smiley? Your new club's a briquette.”

Lexy laughed, picking up her bag.

“It was under construction before. Now it's more under construction.”

“Good morning.”

“Wow….grandma. You look very pretty.”

“Sharp suit, Mom! Not used to seeing you without your bedroom wrapped around you.”

“Well, I could hardly go to the office in my pajamas. I'm taking Walter's position at the office.”

“What changed your mind?”

“Not what. Who.” She looked at Thea. “My daughter. My family. And I promise you, Walter will get back to us. I will keep looking for him and I will find him. And I'll see you for dinner.”

“Wow….that was fast,” Lexy muttered.

“What?” Oliver asked.

“Just feeling the whiplash. She went from shut-in to chairman pretty fast.”

“Sounds like you got through to her.”

“Yeah, I guess.” She continued to stare through the archway. She looked at Lex. “Lets get to school, Lexy.”

The two girls walked out of the house, tossing goodbyes to Oliver.


	13. You're a Smart One, Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver finds out just how smart his little girl is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to do this conversation to the best of my abilities, so I'm sorry if it's wrong.

“Mr. Queen, you’ll be late for that meeting with Lexy’s guidance counselor.”

“Guidance counselor?” Thea asked looking at her brother. “Why are you having a meeting with Ms. Charles?”

“Because according to Lexy, she needs to talk to me about something important. Lexy told me that it had something to do with her grades because she pulled her into her office yesterday to talk to her about it.”

“Hmm,” Moira said. “Is she doing well in school?”

“Extremely,” he answered. “I got her report card yesterday. All A’s.”

Tommy smirked. “So, she is smarter than you.”

The women in the room laughed. Oliver nodded. “She’s definitely smarter than them.” He nodded. “Bye, all.”

He walked out of the house and got into the car with Dig. They drove to the school and he got out and headed inside. He greeted the students as they all stopped, stared or said hi to him. He walked to the office. “Hello, I’m Oliver Queen. Alexandra Queen’s father. I’m here to see Ms. Charles.”

The woman looked up and stared for a long moment. Finally she answered, “H-H-Her office is down the hall and to the left, Mr. Queen,”

“Thank you.” He walked to the room that she indicated and knocked before walking in. “Ms. Charles?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

The woman, a statuesque brunette with bright amber eyes greeted him almost immediately. “You must be Mr. Queen.”

“I am,” he said and sat down. “I’m not trying to be rude, Ms. Charles, but what did you want to see me about? It makes me nervous knowing that Lexy could be in trouble.”

She laughed softly. “I assure you, Mr. Queen, she’s not in any trouble whatsoever.” She came around her desk and sat in the chair across from him. “Truthfully, I should commend you on the turn around of Alexandra. I have to admit when she told me you were back from your island I thought it was going to be more the same from what was happening before, but if her grades are any indication then having you home is incredibly good for her.”

He nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate you saying that. I’d like to think that we’re good for each other.” He smiled. “So, what’s this about? Lexy was telling me that it had something to do with her grades.”

She nodded. “It does, Mr. Queen. I’ve been noticing a change in her intellect—in a good way—and I decided to have a statewide tester come in and test her intelligence level and all that.”

He nodded, completely listening. “All right, and….?”

“And your daughter,” she leaned over and picked up the test results, she handed them to him, “scored incredibly well.”

He looked at the paper she handed him, but honestly it looked like Greek to him. “I’m sorry, I’m not understanding…..”

She leaned forward and pointed at the page. This is your daughter’s IQ number.”

He read it out loud, “One-fifteen.” He looked up into her eyes. “What’s that mean?”

“That means your daughter is an extremely smart young girl, Mr. Queen. She’s actually thinking like a high school Freshman.”

He was more than surprised, he was stunned. “Wow….really?”

She laughed. “You had to know your daughter was incredibly intelligent, Mr. Queen.”

“Oh, I’ve always known!” he said excitedly. “But I thought it was because I had my parent love glasses on—that’s what my mother always said—I didn’t…..” He sighed. “This is amazing.”

She laughed, nodding. “It is. Very amazing.”

“So what happens now?”

“Well, now, I discuss it with you and we make a decision about what to do. Now, I suggest that next year you enroll her in high school.”

He nodded. “Right.” His stomach dipped when he thought of something. “But, won’t she be bullied? A twelve year old girl a freshman in high school. Won’t she be a target?”

She nodded. “She might, but with the support system of you, Ms. Smoak—” she smiled, “Yes, I know about Ms. Smoak and your driver, Mr. Diggle. I’m sure she’ll excel there too.” She sighed softly. “Mr. Queen, in the school environment there really isn’t any way to get away from the bullying. It will happen, but I have found as long as the child has a good support system like Alexandra does then they do well.”

He nodded. “Okay. Let me talk it over with Lexy and I’ll definitely let you know.”

* * *

 

Oliver walked out of the school and to the car. Dig held the door open for him. “Everything alright?”

He smiled. “Everything’s great, Dig.” He slid into the backseat and waited for Dig. “It would seem that our girl is very intelligent.”

He laughed. “We knew that.”

“We did, but apparently she’s thinking like a high school Freshman.”

“Wow…..” Dig said, shocked. “That’s amazing.”

“That’s what I said.”

“Are you going to put her in high school?”

“I’m thinking so, but I want to ask Lexy for her opinion.”

* * *

 

That night, everyone sat in the living room and Oliver looked at them all. “As you all know, I had a meeting with Ms. Charles, the academy’s guidance counselor.”

They nodded. He smiled. “Well, it would seem that while we keep saying to Lexy that she is extremely smart, she is just that.” He looked at Lexy. “How would you like to start high school next year?”

Her jaw dropped. “Wha—what?”

“How would you like to start high school? Ms. Charles showed me your test scores and you, my dear Lexy are thinking like a Freshman.”

“Wow,” Moira said with a smile. “Congratulations, Lex. That’s great.”

Thea smiled. “Yeah, proud of you, Kiddo.”

“Thanks.” She bit her lip nervously. “What….what if—”

“There’s no reason to worry about anything now. Now, it’s 6th grade as usual. This summer we’ll worry about high school, okay?”

She nodded. “Okay, Daddy.” She sighed. “I gotta go call Felicity.”

He smiled. “Okay. Tell her I said hi.”

Moira smiled at her son. “You’re becoming an amazing father, Oliver.”

He smiled. “She makes it easy.” He exhaled.

His little girl was growing up and there was nothing he could do to stop it.


	14. Trust But Verify

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diggle discovers that the man he trusted while overseas isn't the man he is now. Meanwhile, Lexy gets her first crush and her first heartbreak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you'll notice in this chapter, Lexy's nickname will be changing to show her maturity and the next chapter in her life coming up. Which means I'll be writing her new nickname for the rest of the story.

Every morning at the Queen Mansion was just like any other. Breakfast, the news and light conversation. However, this morning was different. This morning, as apart of the conversation was what color Thea should get for her birthday car. Thea asked Oliver and Oliver shut her down immediately. Thea looked over her shoulder at Lexy. “What do you think Lexy?”

“Neither,” she answered. “If you get a color that is not ‘normal’ in the sense of black, blue or whatever you’re just screaming for attention and not the right attention.” She smiled. “My mother used to call my uncle’s cherry red mustang convertible the police magnet because it seemed that every day at least once he was being pulled over by the police.” She smiled at her aunt. “Sorry, but I’m not getting a car.”

Moira looked at her curiously. “Curious, but why not?”

“Because I want a motorcycle. Dad said I could get one as a graduation present.” She picked up an orange and a small plate.

Thea’s jaw dropped and she looked at her mother. “She’s getting a motorcycle and I can’t have a car?!”

“I’m not Lexy’s mother. I’m her grandmother. I don’t have a say anymore in how she’s raised. If Oliver thinks she can be responsible enough with a motorcycle then there is nothing wrong with it.” She kissed Tommy goodbye and looked at Thea. “Come on, we’re gonna be late for the party planners.”

Tommy glanced at Oliver. “How's she holding up?”

“Oh, she's okay. Thea thinks she's actually a little bit too okay.”

“What do you mean? Just... behaving erratically. Shut-in one minute, running the company the next.”

“Well, her husband is missing and presumed who-knows-what. If anyone had an excuse to be erratic, it's your mom.”

“That's what I told Thea.”

Lexy shrugged. “It is a little weird. I mean, I even tried to talk to her and it took Thea yelling at her to snap her out of it.” She took a bite of an orange section.

“The department has got the same comment about this heist as it did the other two. No comment. The SCPD may not be willing to go on the record, but traffic cameras got the entire heist in this exclusive.”

Lexy stands and walks to the television as the surveillance tape played. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she studied it. She glanced at her dad and then back at the television.

“That's why you keep all your money offshore,” Tommy retorted.

Lexy laughed and walked back to the small table she was sitting at. She glanced down at her phone when a text message came in. She read it. “Hey, dad, can I go to Big Belly Burger for lunch? Shelby just asked me to go.”

“Uh….Shelby?”

She nodded. “Shelby Larson? She’s the semi-goth girl you met the other day when you dropped me off at school.”

“Oh! Yeah, go ahead. Just be careful. It is the Glades.”

She nodded. “I will, I promise.” She shot Shelby a quick text confirming.

* * *

 

Lexy walked out of Big Belly Burger talking on her phone and laughing. She’d spent the afternoon with her friends until about 3 and then the rest of the time talking to Carly about stuff and now was headed to the Hideout to see what dad wanted to talk to her about. “I never said that!”

“Oh, you so did!”

She laughed. “I did not.”

“You like him! Admit it!”

“I don’t.” As she turned to start walking in the direction of the steel plant she ran into something muscularly hard. “Oh!”

“Lex? You okay?”

She stumbled slightly, but got her balance and looked up at who she had bumped into to apologize. But as she looked up she suddenly couldn’t speak. She could hear the guy asking if she was okay, but the words ‘I’m fine’ couldn’t seem to come out. “Uh….Taylor, let me call you back.” She continued to stare up at him. “I-I-I-I-I’m s-s-s-sorry.”

He smiled and her heart thudded in her chest. “It’s okay. Are you okay?”

She nodded slowly, not taking her eyes off of him. “Yes,” she stuttered out. What in the heck was going on with her? What was this? Her eyes dropped to his shirt and pants and then she realized she had dropped her soda. “Oh, crap!” She could feel herself starting to blush with embarrassment. First guy she’s ever felt this way towards and she had to go and spill her soda on him. “I’m sorry. Your shirt and pants.”

He laughed and Lexy couldn’t help but smile as her heart jackhammered in her chest. “It’s okay,” he reassured her.

“You’re not meeting like the mayor or POTUS are you?” she asked, brow arching slightly.

He laughed. “POTUS?”

“The President of the United States.”

He chuckled. She was actually kinda cute in that ‘kid sister’ kind of way. “No. I’m not meeting anyone that important. Just on my way home. What about you? You probably shouldn’t be walking around alone on this part of town.”

She smiled. “Thanks for your concern, but I’m meeting my dad up the block.”

He nodded. “Okay. Be careful,” he said as he started walking.

“You too,” she called back. She resisted the urge to look behind her.

“Hey, my name’s Roy by the way,” he called back to her.

She turned, smiled. “Lexy.” She turned back, started walking, bringing her phone to life. She searched her contacts for one name in particular. She punched it with her thumb and waited. “Hey, Fe, it’s me.” She looked both ways before jogging across the street. “You’ll never believe what happened.”

“What?” Felicity asked.

“I think I just got my first crush.” She pulled the phone away from her ear when she heard Felicity’s excited laugh that was between a half squeal and a laugh. “Okay, you’re happy about this.”

She laughed. “I’m sorry. Yes, I’m happy about this. Who is he and what’s he look like?”

Lexy smiled. “Well, his name’s Roy and he’s got brown and blue eyes. And he’s **_really_** cute….”

* * *

 

Lexy walked into the Hideout and smiled apologetically at Dig and Oliver. “I’m sorry I’m late. Got a little tied up.”

“It’s okay, Sweetheart,” Oliver told her. He stopped and looked at her. “What do you mean tied up?”

“I mean, I got to talking to someone and didn’t realize the time.” She smiled. “Relax, daddy.” She tossed her drink cup in the trash and sat on the table near her father. “So, what’s with this meeting of the minds?”

“Something I want to show you."

"Finally getting into online dating and you need help with your profile.”

Lexy laughed. “Ooh. Remember to mention me, daddy.”

He smiled at her. “Always, Sweetheart.” He looked at Diggle. “Not exactly. But there is somebody I'd like to meet.”

He clicked a few keys on the computer and then grabbed his t-shirt.

“Yeah, I read about it. This is the third truck to be hit this month.”

“I—”

“We,” Lexy emphasized.

He smiled. “Yes, I’m sorry, Sweetheart. “We saw it on the news this morning. I couldn't figure out why it seemed so familiar. Then I remembered this. Kandahar, '09, when the Marines took out a Taliban transport vehicle.”

“Yeah. Well, there's a reason why it looks so similar. These guys are running the same swarming technique. Where'd you find this?”

“I was researching someone. Bodyguard who works for a private security firm. Blackhawk squad protection group. His name is Ted Gaynor.”

“Oliver, Ted Gaynor was my commanding officer on my first tour in Afghanistan.”

“Dig...I'm sorry. Gaynor's on the list.”

“Dig, Why would your commanding officer be on the list.”

“He wouldn’t.” He looked at Oliver. “Gaynor's a few hundred thousand dollars short of making your list.”

“Well, I never said it was just one-percenters, did I?”

Lexy knew that tone. “Dad.”

“Oliver, this guy saved my life. Received a commendation for it. I don't care what your book says. He's not a stick-up man.”

Lexy sighed as she watched the two guys in her life go back and forth about this guy. She hated to see them fight. She sighed again as Dig walked out. She looked at her dad. “You still taking me out right?”

Oliver turned to look at her.

“You said you’d take me out so that I could work on the singing part of my batons.”

“Oh, right. Yeah, come on.”

* * *

 

They got far enough away from town and away residential areas not hurt anyone, but not be seen either. Oliver pulled out two sets of earplugs and handed one to her. “I’ll get you a specialized ear plug or something to block out the sound from harming you, or me okay?”

She nodded. She put them in her ears and then stood on the old asphalt road. She pulled out her batons from the holster behind her back and then looked at her father. “Which way?”

“I’d say put them out in front of you,” he instructed. “That way the sound comes away from you and toward your opponent.”

She nodded and held them out in front of her like she was warding someone off. She then squeezed her hands at the pressure points her father told her and they started screaming. She could still hear the sound through her earplugs but not as loudly as if they weren’t there. She squeezed them again and the sound stopped. She pulled her earplug out and smiled at her dad. “That’s easier than I thought it would be.”

He smiled. “Good.” He sighed. “Now, you know everything about those things and you know how to fight—however, that will be an on-going process. How would you like to go out in the field with me tonight?”

Her jaw dropped, her lips curved in a smile and her eyes danced happily. “Really?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I think you’re ready. But please remember, you’re still training too, so don’t think you can do it on your own.”

She nodded. “Got it.” She then began bouncing on her toes happily.

He laughed. “Do it.”

“Yes!” she screamed and really jumping up and down. Then she stopped. “But what am I going to wear? I can’t wear normal clothes it’d look weird.”

He smiled. “Let’s get back to the base.”

She nodded.

Back at base, Oliver walked to another storage crate that was in the room and opened it. He pulled out a black jumpsuit with dark green outlines and turned it to face her. “Here you go. Have you come up with a name yet?”

“I’m trying to decide between Sparrow or Nightingale. What do you think?”

He handed her the costume. “Let me think about it while you change. Go.”

She nodded and went to a darkened part of the compound. She quickly changed out of her outfit and into her suit. She zipped it up. She came out stretching her arms and everything. “This feels good.”

“Good I’m glad.” He handed her the eye mask. “Here.”

She put her eye mask into place and held her arms out like she was modeling. “So?”

“You look great, Baby.” He sighed. He walked to her and kissed her hair. “You’re getting too damn grown up.”

She laughed and hugged him tightly. “Thank you, daddy. You’re amazing.”

“You too, Sweetheart.” He grabbed his bow. “Grab your stuff, lets go.”

* * *

 

They get to Blackhawk and take out the guards. One of the guards laughed as Lexy walked up to him. She then swung her baton and hit him in the head. She then flicked her wrist and fired up her tasers. She put it to his chest and he stilled. She walked away to catch up to her dad.

They go into Ted Gaynor’s office and Oliver fires an arrow at him. “Ted Gaynor, we're gonna have a conversation. You make a move, go for a gun, anything, things will end badly for you.”

Behind them a gun cocks. “Put the bow down.” He looked at Lexy. “You too.”

He takes out the light, grabs for the thumb drive, fires a grappling hook arrow, then takes Lexy and jumps. He let her go close to the ground and she landed on her feet. She was gasping, in shock when Oliver came to her. “You okay?”

“What the heck was Dig doing there, dad?!”

“I don’t know, but we’ll find out.”

Back at the Hideout they waited for Diggle. He showed a few minutes later. Oliver slammed his bow down on the table as he yelled, “I could've shot you. I could've killed you. What the hell were you thinking?!”

“I'm not gonna let you William Tell an innocent man.”

“Gaynor isn't innocent, Diggle.”

“You seem to think that mainly because of what's in your damn book, which you apparently trust more than you trust me.”

Lexy watched as the argument got into full swing. Unable to take it anymore, she grabbed her duffle and walked out the door. She hated hearing people fight. It’d always been one of her anxieties. And hearing her dad and Dig fight always got her anxieties raised. She slid into another restaurant and walked to the bathroom quickly. She quickly changed and put her suit into her bag and then walked out of the bathroom, quickly sliding back out. She tapped her side pockets on her coat and pulled her iPod out of her pocket. She put her earbuds into her ears and started walking.

She ended up at Big Belly Burger and found a seat by the window. She sat down and put her duffle beside her. She sat her iPod on the table and smiled up at Carly. “I’ll take a soda, please?”

Carly nodded. “Where’s John and Queen?”

“There was something that daddy had to do for the club so I came here to hang out.” She looked up at her, giving her an innocent look. “That’s okay, right?”

The woman smiled and nodded. “Of course. I’ll go get your soda.”

“Thank you, Carly.”

She pushed play on her iPod and then pulled out her journal. She started writing in it.

“Hey, Lexy.”

Her heart literally stopped beating when she heard the voice and then it picked up again and hammered hard in her chest. She lifted her eyes and her heart hit her rib cage. It was Roy. He was there and he smiling down at her. “Hi,” she almost whispered.

His smile widened. “Can I sit with you?”

She nodded slowly. Her mind kept racing rapidly. _How…..How did he know I was here?_ Instead of wondering, she decided to ask, “Do you like the burgers or were you looking for me?”

He laughed as he slid into the seat across from her. “Um….I actually like the milkshakes. How about you?”

“Uh….their chili cheese fries.” She smiled up at Carly. “Hey, Carly, could you get my friend a…..”

“Chocolate milkshake,” he answered for her.

Carly nodded. She started to turn to do just that, but stopped and came back to Roy. “You are aware she’s just a kid, right?”

“What?”

“She’s eleven years old,” she told him.

His eyes slid in Lexy’s direction and she was blushing fiercely. He knew what she was doing, trying to ward him off of pursuing anything with her. “Ma’am. I don’t know what you think is going to happen here, but I am very much aware she isn’t old enough.”

Carly walked off and Roy looked at the young girl. “Lexy, it’s okay. I already knew.”

Her heart fell to the bottom of her chest. “You-You-You-You did?”

He nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but the ringing of her phone made him shut it again. She looked at the caller ID and then dismissed the call. He looked at her. “That was your dad, right?”

She nodded. “But I don’t feel like talking to him right now.” She sighed. “So, are you mad?”

“Why would I be mad? Because you never told me that you were a kid?”

Her heart shattered and she took a deep breath. “Right.”

He smiled and waved her off. “Nah. I’m not mad. It’s cool.” He thanked Carly for the shake and leaned on the table. “That doesn’t mean we can’t be friends, right?”

She shrugged and looked up at him. He could see that she was hurt. “I don’t know you tell me. Would you want to be friends with a kid?”

Before he could answer, her phone rang again and this time she answered it when her father’s information came up on it. “I’m on my way, daddy.”

“Where are you?”

“Big Belly Burger. I wanted a soda.” She looked at Roy and then said, “Got to talking to Carly and—”

“It’s okay. Just get back here, please.”

“Yes, sir.” She hung up the phone and picked up her bag, her iPod and her phone. “I gotta go.” She fished into her pocket and threw down a $10 bill and stood, grabbing her bag, iPod and phone. “Bye.”

He exhaled and slid out of the seat. He went after her. “Lexy, wait a minute.”

She turned to look at him. “It’s cool, Roy. Really.” She sighed. “I…..I gotta go.”

As she walked, she felt her throat get scratchy, her nose prick and her eyes well with tears. She should have listened to herself. But honestly he didn’t seem that old, but if he was referring to her as a child then he was older than she had anticipated. She exhaled again and wiped her tears away.

She walked down into the Hideout to see her father down there. She smiled. “Hey, Daddy.”

He seen the tear stained face and came to her. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

She shook her head. “Nothing, daddy.” She pulled her phone out and quickly shot a text to Felicity:

**[To Felicity]: Roy and I aren’t going to be anything. He thinks of me as a child. And if he thinks that then he’s obviously much older than I thought he was or we thought he was. Talk later. XO**

“Did you want to come with me to talk to Felicity? I need her to look at the thumb drive for me.”

They get to Felicity’s office and she looked up. She smiled at Lexy and then looked at Oliver. “And here I was beginning to think my days of being Oliver Queen's personal computer geek were coming to an end.”

Lexy snickered and Oliver smiled. “Is that your way of saying you miss me?”

“No. But if it works for you, go with it.”

Lexy smiled as she watched Felicity. She liked her father. She looked up at her dad and then back at her friend.

“Heh. So a friend of mine is running a scavenger hunt, and there's a case of Lafite Rothschild 1982 waiting at the end.”

“Oh...I love red wine.”

Lexy smiled. “So does daddy.”

He smiled at both of them. “But in order to find it, I first need to get through this.” He handed her the thumb drive.

She took it and looked at it. “Hmm. Security fob.” She put it into her external hard drive. “It's pin protected. Challenge response goes back to a company called Blackhawk Squad Protection Group.”

“Yeah, my friend had his bodyguard set it up for him. Personally, however, I think it's cheating. But whatever.”

“This is a military-grade cryptographic security protocol. Your friend really went to all this trouble?”

“The idle rich are hard to entertain.”

Lexy shrugged. “They get bored easily and find something to do. If they can’t find it, they make it.”

He nodded. “Right.” He looked back at Felicity. “Listen... You get through it and one of those bottles of wine is yours.” He tapped her shoulder and Felicity smiled.

Lexy smiled, said her goodbyes and then walked out with her father. She walked in silence with him to the elevator. Then once inside the elevator car, she looked up at him. “You know, daddy, you should ask Felicity out.”

He scoffed out a laugh. “What?”

“You should ask her out. She’s really cool. I think you’d really hit it off.”

He pulled her close to him and kissed her hair. “I’m not going to ask out your friend.”

Lexy exhaled. “Okay.” She looked up at him. “So, now what?”

“Now we wait for Felicity to break into the thumb drive then we’ll go from there.”

* * *

 

A few hours later, Oliver hung up with Felicity and went to Lexy, who was working out at the punch dummy. “Hey, Ali.”

Lexy laughed. He’d been jokingly calling her that on and off since he found out that she had almost busted the nose of the guy that tried to kill him. “What, daddy?” she said and then slapped at one of the wooden rods.

“Just got off the phone with Felicity.”

She stopped and looked up at him. “What did she say?”

“She found a directory, a map, blueprints and things. Not to mention all the information on the weaponry from the armored car heists.”

She nodded. “Which means that Gaynor is a part of it.” She started taking the tape off her hands. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Now, we wait for Felicity to forward us the information and then when she does we figure out when their next heist is. Then we go in.” He looked into her eyes. “You okay with that?”

She nodded. “I’m ready.”

“Then go get dressed, Baby.”

She nodded.

* * *

 

They got to the location where the Blackhawk Guys were gonna jump the armored truck and she and Oliver jumped into action. He fired an arrow at one of the guys wearing a gas mask and it pulled it off. That’s when the men started firing at them.

Lexy hopped down onto the semi-trailer and held out one of her batons. She pressed her hand down on the pressure point to make it sing and it emitted a high decibel scream that stopped the shooting. She shut it off. She then jumped down and took one of the shooters on herself. She tasered him, then knocked him in the knees and then the head, knocking him out.

The fight ended when someone used a grenade launcher and fired it at Oliver. The guys took off and Lexy ran to her father. “Daddy, you okay?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I’m good, Sweetheart.” He smiled. “Help me up.”

She smiled back and pulled him to his feet. She helped him as he limped off.

* * *

 

By the time that they got back to the mansion, Thea’s 18th birthday party was in full swing. Diggle signaled to talk to them and they walked over to him. They talk about the Hood stopping the heist and Diggle says he’ll go check things out.

Lexy looked up at her father. “I think I’m gonna head upstairs.”

“Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Just tired.” Truth was, she’d been able to block out what Roy had said while she was fighting but on the drive home it seemed to flood back. What if everyone in high school treated her like that? Calling her ‘kid’ all the time?

Felicity was right. Being a genius was going to be hard.

But proving to everyone that she wasn’t a kid anymore was going to be harder.

“Okay. Let’s put you to bed then.”

“I can put myself to bed, daddy,” she snapped. She turned on her heel and walked off.

He caught up to her before she got to her room and turned her to face him. “What is going on with you, Lex?”

She exhaled. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?” he asked. “You just snapped at me downstairs for wanting to say goodnight to you.”

She sighed and looked up at him. “I’ve been thinking, how am I supposed to show kids at my new school that I’m not a little kid, that I belong there if no one else treats me that?”

“Okay. How do you want to be treated then?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know.” She exhaled. She waved him into her room. She sat down on her bed and proceeded to tell him that she got her first crush….of course, she never told him what his name was.

He seriously thought his world was going to spin out of control. His little girl had a crush on someone? “Wh-Wh-Wh-When did that happen?”

“A few weeks ago.” She waved him off. “Don’t worry about it, daddy. You’ll never meet him and I more than likely will never see him again.”

“Okay, why?”

“Because before I could discover how old he was, Carly informed him I was underage. Which then he said that I was just a kid.” She pulled her fingers through her hair. “I may be a ‘kid’ but I know what that means. It means, that he’s more than likely too old for me and that we’d never work.”

He could see that it hurt though. That having him know that she was underage and the guy’s reaction hurt. It probably made her rethink the whole going to high school thing too. He smiled sympathetically at her. “Baby, you’ll find someone.”

She rolled her eyes. “Daddy, don’t.” She pushed herself to standing and walked to one of her many windows. She looked out for a moment and then turned, wiping her tears. “How am I supposed to do this high school thing when I can’t even **_do_** the high school thing?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, dating. For one. None of those guys are ever going to ask me out. I can’t hang out with older people because I’m just a ‘kid’ and none of them would want to hang out with me. Which means I probably won’t make friends.” She sighed. “I mean, I’m eleven years old but think like a fourteen year old, but yet, I don’t **_look_** like it. I look like one of the kids that one of those girls downstairs would babysit.”

He walked to her and put his hands on her forearms in a comforting way. “Well, first, you’re not dating until your forty.”

She rolled her eyes, laughing. “Daddy!”

“And secondly, you’ll get there and I highly doubt you won’t make friends. You’re a great girl, Lex. Anyone would be happy to have you as a friend.” He pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. “And as for not being treated like it. If you want to be treated that way, then I’ll definitely try.”

She smiled. “Good, because I think I wanna change my nickname.”

“To what?” he asked.

“Alexa,” she answered. “I think it’s more….I don’t know….not childish.”

He nodded. “Okay. Then we’ll introduce you that way.” He smiled, hopeful. “Can I still call you ‘Lexy’.”

She laughed softly. “Yes, daddy.”

“Good.” He kissed her forehead. “Then get some sleep.”

“Goodnight, daddy.” She watched as he walked to the door. “I love you.”

“And I love you, Lex.”

* * *

 

Meanwhile, as Oliver’s watching the party, he hears Dig talking to Gaynor. They’ve got Carly and they will kill both Dig and her if he doesn’t do what they want. He walked out of the party and upstairs. He walked into Lexy’s room. He woke her up. “Okay for one more round?”

“One more round?”

He nodded. “Gaynor’s forcing Dig to join his team because he kidnapped Carly.”

That got her fully alert. She climbed out of bed and grabbed her bag. “Let’s go.”

He smiled. “Knew I could count on you.”

She looked at him, seriousness. “Always.”

* * *

 

They get there just in time to see Knox raise a gun to Dig’s back as he’s running. Oliver took Knox and Lexy ran down the street toward Dig. “I got it,” she yelled over her shoulder.

“Drop it, Ted, or I swear...”

Lexy hid in the shadows, ready to strike.

“Don't...posture. You're not gonna do it. You can't. I can see it in your eyes.”

Lexy gets ready to throw one of her batons, but one of her dad’s arrows hits Gaynor in the chest first.

“You're late.”

“You knew I was coming?”

He pulled out the bug Oliver planted. “Next time you plant a bug on someone, be more subtle about it. I wish you trusted me, though.”

“Oh, Dig. I trust you.”

Oliver repeated the same thing. “I trust you, Diggle.” But he added, “But them, never.”

Dig has them get out of there and they take off.

They head home and find out that Thea was in an accident. Lexy walked in with Oliver and Moira. She slowed when she seen her aunt all bumped and bruised. “Aunt Thea…..”

Moira tries talking to her, but she wants her to go away.

Thea looked at Lexy. “I’m fine, Lexy. Really.”

Oliver looked at his sister. “Oh, um….with recent events, Lexy doesn’t want to be nicknamed Lexy anymore.”

“Then what?”

“Alexa,” she answered.

Thea smiled. “I like it. Very cool.”

“Thanks.” She thumbed at Oliver. “He’s the only that’ll call me ‘Lexy’.” She smiled at Oliver and then looked at Thea. “Parental privilege.”

She laughed. “Understandable.”

Lexy sighed. “Daddy, I’m tired.”

He nodded. “Okay. Let’s get you home, Sweetheart.” He kissed Thea’s cheek. “Get some sleep. I’ll be back to get you in the morning.”

He walked out with Lexy and they met Moira outside in the car. Dig drove them home.


	15. Vertigo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new drug is sweeping the streets of Starling City. Thea figures out the consequences of driving under the influence of narcotics. And Lexy makes a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please remember, Lexy's new nickname is Alexa.

A lot has happened in Alexa’s world now.

Her aunt’s been arrested for driving under the influence of a narcotic. Thea and grandma are hardly speaking and when they do Thea’s pretty nasty to her. Her dad’s on a one-man mission to take Vertigo off the streets.

And now, just a few moments ago, the judge that was presiding over the hearing, decided to make an example out of her and decided to reject the plea deal they struck and was going to bring the matter to trial.

The Queens walked into the mansion living room with their lawyer following behind them. “They can't do this. That man cannot send my daughter to prison.”

Oliver turned to their lawyer. “What are our options?”

“An interlocutory appeal. But trial judges have discretion to reject plea agreements. I think you might want to prepare yourself for the possibility that this isn't going to go our way. I'm sorry, Mrs. Queen. I'll get to work on the appeal.”

Feeling defeated Moira said, “Well, so much for the best criminal defense attorney in the city. Thea, we will handle this, I promise.”

“Like you promised Walter you'd always stay faithful to him? I feel better already,” she snapped back.

“That's enough!” Moira said, sounding all parental.

“Don't worry. Sounds like you won't have to be putting up with me much longer.”

“What, does she not realize how serious this is? She took drugs. She drove. She could have killed someone, or herself. I know. All that judge is looking for is someone to make an example of. What does it have to be her?”

“Maybe it doesn’t,” Oliver told her. “I’m sorry, but I gotta go do something.”

She exhaled and headed upstairs. “I’ll be in my room starting on my homework if you need me, grandma.”

“Okay, Alexandra.”

Alexa sighed. Ever since she had told her grandmother that she wasn’t going by Lexy anymore, the woman started calling her ‘Alexandra’ again. She had never hated her full first name in her life until her grandmother began calling her it. She turned on her heel and headed upstairs.

* * *

 

Oliver walked into the Starling City Police Department and up to a group of officers. “Hi. Looking for Detective Hall. I was told he works in Vice.”

A beautiful girl with olive skin and dark hair turned. “Oliver?”

“McKenna Hall.”

“Hi.”

“Here I was, expecting a middle aged guy in a bad suit... And I got McKenna Hall.”

“I live to surprise.” They embrace.

“Well, I remember. What was that club that you got us kicked out of? The Club Deville?”

“Okay, in my defense, there was no sign that specifically said you had to keep your clothes on.”

“So, a cop? I guess you're not hitting the party circuit anymore.”

“I still go to raves. I just go undercover now. And I have to dress slightly more appropriately to hide my badge and gun.”

He smiled. “Right.”

“So what do you need with a vice cop, Oliver?”

“Vertigo.”

“Right. I saw your sister on TV. I'm sorry.”

“The judge is trying to make an example of her. So I was thinking, if you could find the person selling the drugs, it make take some of the heat off Thea.”

“Easier said than done.”

“Did some digging and came up with a name. Um, The Count?”

She looked a little thrown by him saying the name. “Oliver, we've known about The Count for months. Oh. I wish this was thicker, but we really don't have much on him. Love to say we're going to catch him before your sister's trial, but it's highly unlikely. Oh, I am late for my shift.”

“Well, if you hear of anything about this guy, just...let me know?”

“I always loved how much you cared about your sister. But leave the policing to the police, okay?”

“Okay.”

* * *

 

Alexa ran on the sidewalk through downtown to Katy Perry’s Firework blasted from her iPod earbuds. She dodged a couple holding hands and continued running. She smiled at an older woman and slid past her. She rounded a corner that led into the Glades and kept running. As she rounded another corner she almost literally ran into a red hoodie again.

She immediately halted and stepped back. Pulling her earbuds out of her ears. She looked up at the face of the hoodie guy and her heart literally stopped. “Oh, Roy!” She shoved her iPod into her right pocket of her zipped up hoodie.

He smiled and her heart skipped. “Hey, Lex, how are you?”

She nodded. “I’m good,” she answered. “How about you?”

He shrugged. “I’m okay.” He looked around. “You’ve got a habit of being down here, don’t you?”

She smiled softly. “My father’s starting a club here,” she answered. “In fact, he’s dealing with some business right now and I wanted to workout, so….”

“You workout?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yeah. My dad got me into it. I actually really like it.” Her mouth slid into an easy smile. “So, whatcha been up to?”

He shrugged. “Not much.”

She nodded. “Cool.” She sighed. “I-I-I-I should probably go.”

“Right.” He looked into her blue eyes and sighed himself. From the time of the first meeting they’d met at least twice a week at Big Belly Burger and now for a few weeks or so they haven’t seen each other at all. “Are you avoiding me for a reason?” he asked her retreating back.

She turned and walked back to him. She pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. “No. I’ve been busy for one thing. There’s a lot of crap going down at my house right now.” She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder. She nodded and smiled. It was nice to hear, but them hanging out was probably a very bad idea and Carly was the one that pointed it out to them. “We probably shouldn’t hang out. Even though I would love nothing more.” She exhaled. “Carly was right. You could get in trouble because of my age. You’re twenty-one and I’ll be twelve in July. Our friendship is extremely bad.”

He leaned into her and whispered, “If you haven’t noticed I don’t exactly follow the rules and I pick my own friends.” He smiled down at her. “You never know you might be good for me.”

She laughed. “Right. How?”

He smirked and her heart literally stopped beating. “I guess we’ll have to find out together, huh?”

She laughed. She had no idea why she did it, but she looked at him. “Got a cell phone?”

He nodded. She held out her hand. He placed it into her hand and she opened his contacts. She quickly punched in her number and then sent a text to herself to get his number. She handed him his phone back, rose on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I gotta go.”

* * *

 

Alexa slowed at the door of the mansion and walked in, lightly panting. She walked into the living room to see Thea, Laurel and dad sitting inside. She halted. Out of breath she said, “I’m sorry. Am I intruding?”

Oliver smiled. “No, baby. You okay?”

She nodded. “Went for a run.” She smiled at her father. “You were right. It did help.” She picked up a water from the beverage cart that sat in the room. “May I ask what’s going on?”

“You came just in time. Laurel was about to tell us.”

“My father was able to get Judge Brackett to back off his hardline stance.”

Thea scoffed. “Your father hates me.”

“No,” Laurel and Oliver said in unison.

Laurel continued, “My father hates him. Look, nobody asked you to get involved. I did. The judge has agreed to a sentence of 500 hours of community service and two years of probation. Provisional on the appointment of someone to act in loco parentis.”

“In loco what?”

“It means that the court will appoint an individual to assume responsibility for you. Me.”

“I say thanks, but no thanks.”

“Thea! You don't actually have a choice,” Oliver reminded her.

“Oh, actually, I do. See, I'm 18 now and I can make my own decisions. So I decide not to be your ex-girlfriend's office monkey.”

“Well, if you change your mind, then…..”

“Thank you,” Oliver said to her.

“Yeah.”

Alexa shook her head. “I think you have a very misinformed view on what it means to be eighteen, Aunt Thea.”

“Tell me, Lex. What?”

“It means you can be tried as an adult. It means that if Judge Brackett wants to he can give you the maximum sentence. He’s got that right.” She pushed her ponytail over her shoulder. “Do you really want to spend time in jail, Thea?”

She scoffed.

“Thea...” Oliver began. “You're in real trouble, and rightly so. Doing drugs and driving? It is beyond stupid. That is a good deal that Laurel got you. Why aren't you jumping at it?”

“I already have a mother.”

“OH MY GOD!” Alexa exclaimed before taking a drink.

“So... you're going to go to jail and it will ruin the rest of your life.”

“No.” She scoffed out a laugh. “I want to ruin mom's life.”

“You’re not going to ruin grandmother’s life!” Alexa exclaimed. “You’re going to ruin yours! Yes, it’ll hurt grandmother to see you in prison, Thea, but you’re the one that won’t be able to see your friends, any guys or go to the mall whenever you want.”

“She's a liar and a cheat. I mean, deal with it, Ollie. You can pretend all you want to that she's a saint, but I hate her. And she betrayed dad.”

“So you're just--you're going to go to jail to spite her?”

The conversation continued, but Alexa tuned it out. She so wasn’t going to listen to her aunt’s self-righteous attitude toward her grandmother.

* * *

 

Oliver and Dig try to buy some of the Vertigo, but the SCPD shows up and blows it all up. Oliver chased after the Count and got stabbed with a liquid form of the Vertigo. Dig took him to the Hideout. Using the herbs, Oliver came down from the drug.

In the morning, Oliver wakes up and they discuss what’s going on. They decide to get the liquid tested. Oliver heads out to go to the mansion. He’s surprised to see Detectives Lance and Hall there. They ask him why he was there to get some Vertigo and he lied and said he did it so they could catch the guy who dealt to Thea. Oliver leaves the room and starts heading upstairs, Alexa behind him when the after affects of the drug starts taking effect and he falls to his knees.

“Daddy!” She exclaimed coming to his side.

He blacked out.

* * *

 

When he came to Oliver, Dig and Alexa went to QC to ask Felicity to analyze the drug. They stepped off the elevator and headed toward her. As they walked, Oliver got light-headed and groped the wall. “Hey, we need to get you to a hospital.”

“No,” he said firmly.

“Oliver, God knows what was in that drug. It could be causing permanent damage.”

“Dad, Dig’s right. We should—”

“Felicity,” he said cutting his daughter off.

Felicity turned.

“Hey, they said you'd be up here.”

She turned, looking him up and down. “You look like something the cat dragged in. Not that there are cats in this building. Well, once a cat did get in, but a guard tazed it. It smelled like fur and static in here for like a week.”

Alexa smiled. “Oh! I remember that! That is a combination of smells you do not to ever smell.”

Oliver’s vision began to spin. “Ahem. Would you mind stepping away from the window for a moment? I have a little bit of a hangover.”

“Sounds like you need a bloody Mary and a pretzel, not the I.T. Department.”

“Actually, my buddy Kevin is starting an energy drink company. He says it's fantastic for curing hangovers, but I am very particular about what it is I put in my body.”

“I've noticed. I said, not noticed. Right?”

Alexa laughed softly and shook her head.

Oliver chuckled. “I'm trying to find a secret recipe. Could you please do a spectroanalysis of the sample and find out exactly where in the city it's made?” He handed her the double syringe.

“If it's an energy drink, why is it in a syringe?”

“I ran out of sports bottles.”

Alexa kept her facial expressions from showing but inside she was rolling her eyes at his story this time.

“Okay,” Felicity said.

Dig, Alexa and Oliver head to the elevator. “Your B.S. stories are getting worse.”

“I'm well aware.”

“You know as much as we use her, we could bring her in on it. Let her know everything.”

He shook his head. “Not now.”

* * *

 

“Looks like Felicity came through. The solvent used in the Vertigo sample was run off water originated within a ten block radius of where East Glades meets the bay.”

“Really?” Alexa asked.

He nodded. Oliver looked at her curiously.

“There’s nothing there but an old detention center. It closed down like three years ago,” she replied.

“Dad.”

“You can't go out there, though, Oliver. You're still suffering the after-affects of the Vertigo.”

Alexa looked at her father, sternly.

“Did you hear The Count? He's taking this drug citywide. If we don't stop him now, this becomes an epidemic.”

“I can stop you from leaving.”

Oliver stepped up to him. “Try.”

“If you two start throwing punches I’m leaving without you.”

Dig grabbed the tennis ball and bounced it on the floor. He held it in his hand. “Oliver, you hit this and you can leave.”

Oliver raises the bow and tries to aim, but his vison doesn’t get better.

Dig gripped it. “I'm glad you came to your senses.”

“You should always remember one thing, Dig. What's that? I don't need the bow.” He turned to leave.

“Dad.”

He turned to face her. She narrowed her blue eyes at him. “You may not need the bow, but you do need me.”

“No, Lex—”

“I can be just as stubborn as you if I have to. I’m coming with you. Dig’s right. You’re suffering from the withdraws of the Vertigo. It’s always good to have back up. I’m going with you.”

He opened his mouth to argue but saw his same determination in her eyes. “All right, fine.”

* * *

 

They entered the juvenile detention center and started climbing the stairs. Someone tried to sneak up on Oliver and he took him out. Alexa took out another one and they both did the other. Afterwards, Oliver stumbled up the stairs.

2 more guys showed up and they both took them out. This time Alexa used her batons and knocked one out cold. Oliver again stumbled up the stairs to get to the count.

As they approach the entrance to The Count’s lab, they heard one of his men out him. Alexa looked at her father. “Earplugs in?”

He nodded. She smiled. She then took one of the batons and squeezed and a loud siren screech came out. Everyone covered their ears. They both jumped down and Alexa did a flip and took one of them out. She kicked another, kicking the gun right out of his hand. He then punched her and she grabbed his arm and snapped it. She then took him out at the knees and tazing him with one of her batons.

Oliver starts fighting the Count. As they fought, Oliver stabbed him with one of his syringes. “Enjoy the fruits of your labor.”

“We gotta go,” she told him. “Cops are coming!”

“Go!” he told her.

She took off running the other way and outside. She hid in the shadows waiting for her father.

* * *

 

The next day, Alexa had just stepped out of her closet with an outfit in hand when her cell phone rang. She walked over to her nightstand and picked it up. She smiled when she seen it was Roy and answered, “Hey.”

“Hey, Sash. What’s up?”

“Sash?” she asked.

“Yeah. I like it better than Lexy.”

She smiled. “Well, funnily enough, I did change my nickname to Alexa.”

The line went quiet for a moment and then he said, “Nope. Still like Sasha better.”

She laughed. “Okay, then. So, how’s your day going?”

“Pretty good.”

To say she was ecstatic to be talking to him again was an understatement of the century. Maybe they could be friends after all.


	16. Secrets & Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Laurel is taken it's up to Oliver, Alexa and Lance to get her back. Oliver discovers that the yacht he was on was sabotaged and that his mother is involved in something called the Undertaking. Oh, and Felicity joins the team....for now. Also Dig discovers that Alexa's not over her mother's death as much as she plays up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I combined Betrayal and The Odyssey together to make this episode.

Alexa LOVED movie nights with her father.

It was the one night when she and daddy shut off their phones and completely shut out the world and watched whatever they wanted…..as a family. Tonight was the _Back to the Future_ Trilogy. It was 3 of her favorite movies.

 

_“So McFly, have you made a decision about tonight's opportunity?”_

_“Um, yeah Griff, you know, I was thinking about it and I'm not sure it's a good idea because I just think it might just be a little bit dangerous.”_

_On screen, the female gang member named Spike caressed her finger down Marty Jr.’s face. “What's wrong McFly? You got no scrote?” She stabs him in the groin with the point end of her finger decoration._

_“Ooh!” He falls on the counter._

_The camera pans to Marty, Sr. “He's a complete wimp!”_

 

Alexa slid her eyes to her father as she leaned in to get more popcorn. She bit her lip nervously. She’d been wanting to tell him about Roy for a while now. They were friends and nothing more, but she didn’t want to lie to her dad about him anymore. She turned her body in the couch to face him better. “Daddy, I can talk to you about anything, right?”

He nodded and with conviction said, “Absolutely.”

“Even boys?” she asked.

There was a long pause. He slid his blue eyes to her and watched as she nervously bit down on her bottom lip. He remembered that Janine used to do that when she was nervous. He finally answered, “Yes.”

She smiled and turned fully to face him. He turned also, tucking his leg into the couch. “It’s about that guy that I told you about at Aunt Thea’s birthday party. His name’s Roy.” She sighed. “The one with the age gap?”

He thought about it for a moment. “Right. I remember, and….?”

“And um….we’ve-we’ve-we’ve become friends.”

He had no idea why it seemed to be a big deal until he thought about her saying there was an age gap. He smiled. “Lexy, honey, just say it.”

“He’s at least nine years older than me, maybe ten if you do the whole birthday thing. We’ve ONLY become friends, that’s it.” She sighed. “I’ve resigned myself to only being his friend.”

He knew it was important to her not to have him flip out so he kept himself calm as he talked to her. “There’s nothing wrong with being just friends, Lex.”

She sighed heavily. “There is when you **_really_** like him.” She pulled her fingers through her blond hair and closed her eyes and looked up at him. “The more time I spend with him the more I like him.”

He felt the twist of sadness in his heart. He’d missed so much with her that it was actually hurting at how fast she was growing up. He took her hand and squeezed. He knew he was going to regret this, but he had a feeling that she’d move on to someone else before it would even happen. “Tell you what, Sweetheart. If you still feel the same way when you’re eighteen and he expresses the same thing—you have my blessing completely.”

Alexa’s head whipped around so fast he thought the movement would have given her whiplash. “Really?”

He nodded. He crossed his forefinger over his heart. “Promise.”

He just hoped he was right because he wasn’t sure if he was ready for her to have anyone permanent like that.

* * *

 

The next day, Alexa met up with Roy at Big Belly Burger. They had made the plan to hang out that day. There wasn’t much they could do with her being only a kid, but they made it work when they wanted to see each other. After ordering, she picked up her water and drank. “So, I told my dad that we were hanging out and even about the age gap.”

Roy froze for a moment. “Okay,” he said slowly. “Let me guess, we can’t hang out anymore.”

She shook her head. “Quite the opposite actually. He seemed to be surprisingly cool about it.” She shrugged. “He could have been trying to be cool for me though.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because he knows that if I have decided to make you a friend then I see something good in you.”

He smiled and leaned his elbows on the table top. “Do you see something in me, Sasha?”

She shrugged. “Maybe. I’ve decided to reserve my judgment until I’ve known you longer.”

He laughed. “Good idea.”

Carly Diggle put the food and drinks down, she then eyed Roy suspiciously. She looked at Alexa. “Does your dad know you hang out with him, Alexa?”

She nodded. “He knows.” She handed her phone to the older woman. “But go ahead and call him. Or you can call John. Either one should be able to tell you that daddy knows.”

Carly didn’t say anything, she just walked back to the counter where a customer was waiting to pay for their food.

Roy looked at Alexa. “She’s kinda nosy, isn’t she?”

She shrugged. “If you knew who my father was you’d know why.”

“You ever gonna tell me?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want you to look at me differently if you do know.”

“Why?”

She exhaled deeply. “Because my father is Oliver Queen.”

As soon as her father’s name left her lips she could see him becoming deflated by the news. She sighed. “See. I knew you’d do that.” She picked up her milkshake cup and slapped a $20 bill on the table. “I’ll see you—”

“Whoa!” Roy said immediately standing. “That was surprise, Sasha, nothing more.”

“Promise?”

He nodded. “Now, please, sit with me. Lets finish our food.”

She couldn’t help but worry through the meal that she was going to lose the guy that was quickly becoming her best friend.

* * *

 

Later, Diggle, Alexa and Oliver were in the Cave talking about the list of names that Oliver uses for the people who needed to know they were failing the city. Dig held up one book. “So this book contains a list of the names of the guys you've been hunting.” He held up the other. “And this book, your mother's, has the same list of names.”

“It's identical.”

“So where'd your mother get her copy, Oliver? For that matter, who gave it to you?”

“Felicity Smoak. She said that Walter found it in their bedroom. And now he's missing. She's my mother, Diggle. She's not the kind of person who would—”

“Have her husband disappeared? Because that's really the question, isn't it, Oliver? I understand why you would believe your mother over your stepfather, but I tend to believe the innocent party is whoever's missing-- and presumed dead.”

“I’m with Dig, daddy. It is suspicious. And if it’s as grandmother said and it was a list of all the favors people in this town owed grandpa then why would she hide that fact? I mean, from what you’ve told me, despite grandpa being a good man that he didn’t do right by you or aunt Thea.”

“Right.”

“So, what makes you think that grandma’s so innocent in all this?”

“Because she’s my mother,” Oliver told her as if he was reminding her.

She knew that tone anywhere. Oliver used it if he didn’t want to talk about something. She held up her hands in a ‘don’t-shoot’ type of way and walked over to the computers.

She knew when not to argue with her father and about what subjects. Laurel and Moira were the two subjects. She exhaled and looked at her father. “I’m gonna go.”

Dig looked at her. “You meeting your friend?”

“Friend?” Alexa asked turning.

“That guy you’ve been hanging out with a lot.”

She pulled her jacket on and put her hands in her pockets. “You mean Roy?”

“Is that his name?” Dig asked.

She nodded. “Yes. And he’s a friend and daddy already knows about him.”

Dig looked at him confused. “You do?”

“Yeah, Lex told me about him Saturday. We’ve come to an understanding about him….” He looked at Alexa. “Right?”

She nodded. “Yep. Besides as I’ve told Carly and daddy many times. We’re just friends. More than likely anything romantic will NEVER happen. So, there’s no reason to get too excited.” She started climbing the stairs. “And besides he’s not the friend I’m meeting. I’m meeting up with Felicity.”

* * *

 

Alexa’s phone rang and she walked to the nightstand where she always put it and immediately answered it. “Hey, Dig, what’s up?”

“I need you to come in, please?”

“I’ll be there.”

About 20 minutes later, she and her dad walked into the Cave. She walked to him as she said, “What’s so important?”

“Thank you for coming.” He looked at Oliver. “It didn't seem like a good idea to talk about this at your house.”

“Yeah, it would have been a little awkward for you to explain to my mother that you're spying on her,” Oliver retorted.

Alexa rolled her eyes.

“No, man. Awkward part's coming up.”

“You bugged my mother?”

“Daddy, stop,” she told him, frustrated. “Just listen.”

He pressed the button on the recorder and listened. It was a little staticky and distorted.

“It's taken care of. I've taken care of it. Carl Ballard will not be a problem anymore.”

The second person’s voice is very difficult to hear clear it’s so distorted. But, Oliver and Alexa did their best.

“Given your propensity for squeamishness, I'm assuming that Mr. Ballard remains in good health.”

“I made it clear to him persuasively that his plans endangered the undertaking. I didn't have to make the usual threats.”

“Excellent. Now, one more matter to attend to. I need you to have to contents of this address removed and disposed of thoroughly. The warehouse where you're storing the remains of "the Queen's Gambit".”

“I already told you, I knew Robert's yacht was sabotaged.”

Alexa gasped. “Daddy…..”

“I'm sorry, man.”

“The yacht was sabotaged. Somebody tried to kill my father.”

“And your mother was involved somehow.”

“You do not know that she was involved, Diggle!”

“Come on, daddy! It’s right there! She knew someone was out to get grandpa. She obviously knows something about the Undertaking. Whatever the heck that is.”

“Oliver, she kept this a secret. Why would she do that if she didn't have something to hide?”

Oliver was trying to wrap his brain around what he had just learned when the Hood’s cell phone rang. He answered, “You have three seconds before I have this line permanently disconnected.”

“It's Laurel. She's been kidnapped. Listen, whoever this is, he's going to kill my daughter. Please believe me.”

Oliver goes to meet Quentin. They talk about Vanch kidnapping Laurel. “Vanch is holed up in a mansion. It’s a pretty fortified position. I’ve been there. My partner and I can take it easily but she believes that it’ll be easier to have help.”

They got to Vanch’s mansion and she pulled herself up on the roof. She pulled her batons as the men turned. She twirled them in her hands. “Bring it,” she uttered.

They charged her and she used both of her batons and knocked them to the ground. She used one and knocked it against one of the soldiers’ head. He was out cold. This one gave her a bigger challenge. She swung the baton and he caught her arm. As he was about to throw her on the ground, she flipped into the fall and then jerked on the baton, making the man fall on his backside. She jerked her wrist and fired up the taser. She put it to his chest and now he was out cold too.

She jumped off the roof and headed inside with her father, batons at the ready. But as they headed inside, they were found by another of his goons. Before the guy with the gun could kill them as Vanch ordered, Quentin shot him dead. During the commotion of getting Vanch and his girlfriend under arrest, Oliver and Alexa escaped out of sight.

Back at the Cave, Oliver, Alexa and Dig talk about what could possibly be Moira’s part in whatever the Undertaking is. “So what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to have another chat with my mother.”

“I’m coming with you,” she said. She watched as he tried to protest and she raised a hand. “No. From now on, daddy, we either do this together or you don’t do it at all. I’m a part of this too. You can’t deny that. Let me help. I promise I will hide in the shadows so that grandma doesn’t see me. You’ll do all the talking and as always I’ll follow your plan.”

When they get to Queen Consolidated, they go to Moira’s office and Oliver does his usual spiel. “Moira Queen, you have failed this city.” She attempted to reach for her phone, but Oliver shot an arrow in it. “Stand still!”

“Please don't kill me,” she pleaded.

“Do you know anything about your husband's disappearance?”

“What?!”

“Is Walter Steel still alive?!”

“I don't know where my husband is. I swear.”

“Do you know anything about the Undertaking?”

She turns and picked up a photo of Thea and Oliver.

“I said don't move!”

“I'm--I'm a mother. I have a son--Oliver. A daughter, her name is Thea. She's just a teenager. Please don't take me from my children. They lost their father. They can't lose me, too. Please, whoever you are, please.”

“Okay. I'm not going to hurt you.”

She reached over and fired at Oliver. Shooting him in the shoulder. Alexa quickly moved. She pulled him up, putting an arm around her shoulders. She pulled what looked like a gun from her right side holster and shot it at the nearby building, a hook grabbed on. She then looked at her dad and he grabbed it, sliding down. She did the same and then got the hook out of the building.

“Can you walk, daddy?”

He nodded. She smiled. “Good. Follow me.”

Oliver sees her walk up to a red PT Cruiser and she breaks inside. “Do I even….” He winced. “….wanna know how you learned that?”

She shook her head. “Just be happy I do.”

She gets him inside the car and then she heard the footsteps and hid in the other side, on the floor.

Moments later, there was the sound of a car alarm and then someone got in. She started the engine and was about to pull out when she seen Oliver and Alexa in the backseat. “Ohh!”

“I'm not going to hurt you, Felicity.”

“How do you know my name?”

Alexa sat up in the seat, pulled her mask off. “For the same reason you know both our names.”

“Because you know my name,” Oliver did the same.

“Oh, God….Lexy?”

She nodded. “I’ll explain later. Please!”

Remembering that Oliver was there, she turned to him. “Oliver, oh... Wow. Everything about you just became so unbelievably clear.” She looked on his shoulder where the blood was coming from. “You're bleeding.”

“I don't need to be told that.”

“You need a hospital.”

“No!” Alexa said immediately.

“My--my father's old factory, in the Glades.”

“No, you-- you need a doctor, not a steelworker.”

“Felicity...You have to promise me that you are going to take me to my father's factory and nowhere else.”

“Yeah, promise.” She’s breathing heavily. “Something tells me blood stains are not covered under my lease.”

* * *

 

Alexa quickly got out of the car and ran downstairs to the basement. “DIG!”

Dig turned around and looked at Alexa. “Lex?” he seen the blood. “Are you bleeding?”

She shook her head. “No—”

“Excuse me.”

Dig pulled a gun on her.

“Can you help me? He's really heavy!”

They get him on a table and Diggle looked at the wound. “Oh, damn it. He just missed a carotid. It's a zone two wound. Press there.”

Felicity put her hand on the cloth that was pressed into the wound.

Dig looked at Alexa, who was starting to cry, while trying to figure out what she could do. “Alexa.”

No answer. He tried a couple more times. Finally he said, “Lexy!”

She came out of her zone and looked at the man. “I’m sorry, Dig.”

He shook his head. “Don’t be.” He smiled at her. “Talk to him.”

“Talk to him?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Talk to him. Pull him back.”

“I should have taken him to a hospital.”

“No, Felicity, that's why he asked you to bring him here. Because he knew the police would want to know how and why he got the wound.”

“I'm guessing how and why are Oliver Queen's least favorite questions.”

“Yeah, well, there's also when and where, he's not too fond of.”

“So if we can't bring him to the hospital...” Felicity trailed off.

“We bring the hospital to him.”

“Is that...?”

“Yeah. His blood. He stored it for a rainy day. And I say right now, it's pouring. I got it. Over there.”

“Do you know what you're doing? Yeah, I had some medical training in the army. I just hope it's enough.” He put some gloves on. “Remember playing "Operation" when you were a kid?”

“Yes. And it never made me want to throw up.” She was also putting gloves on.

“Hey, Felicity, listen, trust me. He'll be fine. He's been through a lot worse than this.”

Alexa walked over and grabbed a stool. She put it at her father head and caressed his face, crying. “Daddy, please…..” A tear dripped on his forehead. “Please, daddy. I need you,” she whispered. “I know I’m a lot more independent than you expected me to be at this age, but I promise you I need you.” She wiped a hand across her nose. “I need you, daddy.”

After Diggle finished patching him up, Alexa stood and began pacing. Felicity looked at her. “Lex, he’ll be okay.”

She wringed her hands as she paced, not saying anything. Dig looked at her. “What is it, Small Fry?”

“Something’s bugging me,” she muttered. “And I’m ticked.”

“About what?”

“How quickly my grandmother recovered from being a pleading mess to shooting at my father.”

He nodded. “Okay, why are you angry?”

“Because the woman shot at my father!” she almost yelled. “Dig, if he doesn’t…..if he doesn’t come out of this I will never forgive her.” She held up a hand. “And I don’t care what you say—”

Hearing her father seizing off the table and the monitor going crazy had Alexa moving toward the computers out of the way. She slid down to the floor and curled her legs up as she began to zone out.

Felicity looked around for Alexa. “Where’d Lex go?”

Dig looked around and found her crouched in the corner under one of the tables and she was sobbing. “Oh, Sweetie.” He walked to her and knelt down in front of her. “Your dad’s going to be okay, I promise.”

“Mama……wasn’t…..!” she sobbed. “They promised…..too and then the…..machines beeped and…..”

Dig held out a hand to her and she came out from under the table and he lifted her in his arms. He soothed her. “Shh….baby, he’s going to be okay.” He continued to hold her as she cried. The girl may be growing up quicker than he and Oliver were comfortable with, but she was still a little girl too. A little girl who needed her daddy. “Shh, baby…..” he sat her on the corner of the table and looked into her watery eyes. “Hey, look at me.”

She put her blue gaze on him and he smiled. “He just got you back do you really think he’s going to go anywhere?”

She slowly shook her head. “Dig, I’m tired.”

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. “Why don’t you grab your dad’s sweatshirt and go lay down? When dad wakes up I’ll tell him to wake you, okay?

She nodded. She hopped off the table, grabbed her bag. “I’m gonna go change first.”

“Okay, Sweetie.”

She started climbing the stairs. She stopped and turned. “Dig.”

“Yes, Small Fry.”

“I love you.”

He smiled. “I love you too, Sweetie. Now, go get changed and get some sleep.”

* * *

 

A few hours later, Oliver awoke, kinda groggy. He looked at them. “I guess I didn't die….again. Cool.”

Dig chuckled.

Oliver looked at the patch up job in the mirror. “It's not bad. So how am I going to explain this one?”

“Hickey gone wrong?” Dig teased.

“The police collected a sample of your blood at Queen Consolidated,” Felicity announced. “I just hacked the crime lab and ordered the sample destroyed. Oops. Heh.” She turned in the chair. “I hope it's all right. Your system looked like it was from the eighties, and not the good part of the eighties, like Madonna and, well, legwarmers.”

“It's a lot of work. Does that mean you're in?”

“You mean in as in I'm going to join your crusade?”

“Well, you're practically an honorary member of the team already.”

“Hmm. So Mr. Diggle said. No.”

“Then why'd you upgrade my system?”

“First, because seeing a network that poorly set up hurts me. In my soul. And second... I want to find Walter.”

“My stepfather. He was nice to me. And Mr. Diggle told me that the notebook you use to fight crime is the same notebook that got Walter abducted. I'll help you rescue him, but that's it. Then I want to go back to my boring life of being an I.T. girl. That's my offer.”

“Ok,” Oliver agreed. They shook hands on it.

“So I've been meaning to ask... Is there a bathroom? 'Cause I've had to pee since I got here.”

He laughed softly. “It's upstairs to the left.”

“Great.”

“Felicity.”

She turned.

“Thank you.”

“Yeah.” She smiled and stood there. “Can I ask you something? Does Lexy actually get out and fight with you?”

He nodded. “Trust me she’s completely safe. I would never put her out there otherwise.”

“She’s not completely safe. She has bullets flying at her.”

Diggle stopped her with a raise of his hands. “Trust me when I say this, she wants to be out there. Fighting alongside her dad.”

Felicity nodded. “Okay.” She thumbed in Alexa’s direction. “Go wake her up.”

He smiled. “You better hurry.”

She raced upstairs and Dig looked at his friend. “Oliver, I know you don't want to hurt this girl and you didn't have any choice in telling her who you really were, but we're asking her to get involved in some pretty dangerous stuff.”

“We can protect her.”

“How? Your mother just shot you, Oliver. You can't even keep yourself safe.”

“She was scared. She was defending herself.”

“Or, she was hiding something. Like maybe her involvement in Walter's disappearance, or worse.”

“Diggle, we don't always know why people do what they do. But what I do know is that when I was standing in her office with an arrow aimed at her heart, she begged me to spare her, all on behalf of me and Thea. Now, I've taken down a lot of bad people. None of them brought up their kids, Dig.”

“Oliver, she had the list. Now she may not be in charge of whatever "it" is, but she's definitely involved.”

“Involved in what?! We don't even know what "it" is, and until we do, she is off limits! Am I clear?”

“But Oliver, are you saying this because you truly believe she's innocent? Or because you don't want to face the fact that your mother might be guilty?”

He didn’t say anything, he just looked at him and then away. “I’m gonna take my little girl home.” He walked over to the mats where she was passed out asleep. It was tempting to just pick her up and walk out with her, but not with his wound he couldn’t. He touched her cheek softly and kissed her cheek. “Hey, Princess.”

Alexa’s eyes fluttered open and she looked up, her heart racing when she seen who it was. “DADDY!” She launched herself into his arms and she held on.

He held her tight, and began to stand. “Let’s go home, Sweetheart.”


	17. The Dodger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made some edits to this chapter.

Alexa stared up at the stars as she laid across the hood of an old 1978 Camaro. Next to her was Roy. Tonight her dad would be somewhere out in the City taking down another guy from his book. However, tonight, she was spending it with Roy on the hood of this old car. She rolled her head to the side and looked at him as he looked up at the stars himself.

He was so cute and he had no idea that the more that they hung out together, the more that she was really beginning to like him. Although, she knew Felicity was right in that the age gap was going to be problem not only for everyone else, but for them too. It was about the 9 ½ year age gap. He’d be more advanced than she was ready for. And she knew it was wrong in so many ways to have a crush on a guy that could be her father’s little brother, but she couldn’t seem to shut off her feelings even though she tried. She tried desperately.

“You’re staring at me.”

She immediately whipped her head to look up at the stars. She felt her nose tickle with tears of embarrassment. “Sorry.”

“Wanna talk about it?” he asked sitting up.

She swiftly shook her head and put her hands on her stomach. “Nope.”

He smiled down at her and she thought her heart would hammer out of her chest. “Sasha?”

She exhaled hard. She pushed herself up and slid back against the windshield. “Okay. Let me ask you something, okay? Completely hypothetical, okay?”

He nodded. “Okay. Shoot.”

“If I was the same age as your or even eighteen, would you…..” God, it even sounded stupid. She waved the question off. “Never mind. It was stupid.”

Roy gave her a small smile and tilted her head to look at him. His smile widened. “Would I go out with you?”

She nodded slowly. “But you don’t have to answer, it was a stupid question and one I probably wouldn’t want to know the answer to, so…..”

He chuckled. “Sash, stop, please.”

She took a deep breath and slowly released it. He kept his smile in place. “If you were old enough yes, I’d date you in a heartbeat.”

Her heart thudded hard in her chest. “Really?”

He nodded. “Yes. Sash. I never expected to connect with you, and don’t hate me for this, but—a twelve year old girl on so many levels—but I do. I can honestly say that. And if anyone else heard me say it’d make me sound like a pedophile or something. But it’s the truth. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like you at least a little bit in the way you like me. But, Sash, we can’t—”

She nodded swiftly. “I know. Daddy’s told me and Felicity—uh….the IT girl I’ve talked a lot about—she’s told me too. I had to ask and truthfully your answer wasn’t what I expected and honestly, some of it will be hard to digest when I actually think about it, but—”

“Trust me, I wish things could be different too,” Roy admitted. “But they’re not.” He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry.”

She shrugged. “It is what it is. I’m not expecting you to wait for me or anything.” Even though that would be the coolest thing ever. “So, don’t feel bad about anything, okay?”

He nodded. “We’re good, right?”

She nodded, even though her heart was crushing. “Uh….yeah, we’re great.” Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out. She glanced at the screen. “Gotta take this. It’s Felicity.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

She wiped her thumb and answered, “Hey, Fe.”

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said, smiling at Roy. “Nothing’s wrong. What’s up?”

“I wanted to let you know, I quit.”

“You quit what? Not your job?”

“No, I still work there. The **_other_** job.”

She gasped softly. “Why?”

“Your father’s a gigantic ass!”

She sighed. “What did he do now?”

Felicity proceeded to tell her everything that happened. When Felicity finished Alexa sighed. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Don’t bother.”

“Fe, you can’t quit! It was so much fun to hang out with you!”

“I’m sorry, Sweetheart, but I can’t work with him if he’s going to make children orphans.”

She sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Okay. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Okay. Bye, Lex. Love you.”

“Love you too.” She hit the end button and sighed. She looked at Roy. “I gotta go. My father’s internal management is falling apart. I gotta go see what crawled up his butt.”

Roy laughed. “Okay. It’s probably the billions he’s sitting on.”

She laughed. “Right.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’ll call you later.”

He watched her slide off the car and watched her run down the street. As he watched her disappear, he had a feeling he wouldn’t talk to her again.

* * *

 

Alexa walked down the stairs and into the Cave. “Hey, Dig.”

He whipped around, surprised to see her. “Hey, I thought you were hanging out with your friends.”

“It was just one friend and I was. Until Felicity called me to inform me that she quit her job tonight because dad’s a gigantic ass.”

Diggle snickered and then stopped when she glared. “Sorry, Small Fry.”

She swiped up her Bluetooth device. She slipped it into her ear and turned it on. “Dad.”

“Dad?” he asked into her ear. “Since when do you call me dad?”

“Only when I’m angry,” she glared at the computer screen. “What the heck is going on with you?”

“I’m taking a man off the list—”

“And making a child an orphan in the process?!”

“Lower your voice when you’re talking to me, Alexandra.”

She sighed. “I’m sorry, but dad, Fe called me to inform me that she wouldn’t be helping anymore.”

“What do you want me to do about it, Lex?”

“Fix it,” she said. “I don’t care how you do it but fix it.” She exhaled. “Daddy, she’s my friend. My best friend.”

“I thought Roy was your best friend?”

She shrugged as she said, “Yeah, well….”

“Uh-oh. What happened?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it right now.” She sighed again. “Don’t make him an orphan. If I find out an arrow goes anywhere near him, then I’ll kick your but myself, got it.”

“Understood,” he answered obediently.

She hung up and threw the device on the table.

Tonight just sucked.

* * *

 

The next morning, Diggle, Oliver and Alexa head to Queen Consolidated to talk Felicity into rejoining the team. However, when they get down to the IT Department she wasn’t there. He looked at Dig and Alexa. “Maybe we should come back later.”

“No, maybe we should wait, Oliver. This is really serious. What if her next attack of conscience leads her right to the police?”

“Oh, she won't say anything. I know I had to make the same calculation when you found out about me.”

“Mm-hmm. And what would you have done if you were wrong, and I decided to make a call to detective Lance?”

“I would have put an arrow in you." "Ha! Really--really--you really would have done that, really?”

Just as that hung in the air, Felicity walked in, a notebook in hand. “Hmm. I had a bet going with myself on how quickly you two would visit. Tell me not to reveal your secret. Looks like I won.”

“Actually, Felicity, I was hoping that I could get you to change your mind. I was worked up on adrenaline last night, and I didn't exactly put my best foot forward. I was hoping you'd give me the opportunity to do that now.” He smiled at Alexa. “Also, Alexa helped me realize I was being unreasonable.”

She winked at Alexa. “How about you start with Ken Williams? Did he also get to enjoy your adrenaline last night?

“No, he returned the money that he stole just in time to put his son to bed. Like I said, Felicity, just a warning...”

The sound of the TV made Oliver’s drop off and they listened to what the female detective had to say. She was talking about someone named the Dodger. “You know, I heard about this guy. They call him the Dodger because he avoids getting his hands dirty. He uses hostages to do his stealing for him.”

“How?” Oliver and Alexa said in unison.

“Puts a bomb collar around their necks. Last year, a guy in Madrid didn't steal what the Dodger told him to, and it took his head off. Literally.”

“And now the psycho's in Starling City? It's too bad his name's not in your notebook.”

“You know, not all the people that I target are on the list. Every once in a while, I make an exception. A hostage-taking jewel thief, for example. So, why don't you help us take him down?”

Alexa looked up at her father, hopeful. “Me too, daddy?”

He nodded. “Yep. You too, Sweetheart.”

“Great!” she said smiling. “I have the perfect place for a conference meeting.”

* * *

 

“So to catch this guy, we need to either figure out where he is, or where he's going to be.”

“Is this really how you guys figure out how to get your target? Over burgers and shakes?”

“Sometimes,” Alexa admitted.

Carly approached the table, sugar shaker in hand. “Sorry it took me so long. I'm waiting on a bunch of particularly rowdy customers.”

They all look over at the table by the door. Dig looked up at her. “You need me to handle that?”

She smiled. “I appreciate it, but I'm a pro by now.”

He smiled back. “I'll be here if you need me.”

“Girlfriend?” Felicity asked.

Alexa shook her head.

“No, it's my sister in law,” Dig answered.

“Hmm.”

“Sort of,” Dig added.

Oliver looked at her. “Carly was married to Dig's brother. And he passed away.

“Hmm. Well, looks like she's hot for you.”

“Ah. Can we get back to crime fighting, please?” Dig asked trying to change the subject.

“Actually, Dig, I was thinking, you probably should ask her out.”

“Really?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Dig leaned back in the booth. “I'll do that just five minutes after you ask out McKenna.”

Oliver immediately felt Alexa stiffen in her seat. Felicity smirked. “Ooh, the detective on the Dodger case. You have a thing for her?”

“Yes,” Dig cut in before Oliver could say anything.

“To which I haven’t discussed it with my daughter yet, guys.”

Felicity lifted her brows and formed an ‘O’ with her lips. Dig looked at her. “I’m sorry, Small Fry.”

She shrugged, the tenseness in her body still evident. It wasn’t that she had a problem with her dad dating, because she really didn’t—well, as long as they knew about her—it was how he acted when he was dating. Because if him dating Helena was any indication of how he was going to treat her while with someone she wasn’t sure she was going to like it. She looked at all 3 adults at the table. “It doesn’t really matter, does it?”

She began to stand, but Oliver grabbed her hand. “Sit.”

“No,” she said trying to pull her hand free. He gave her a stern look. “I said sit.”

She jerked her hand free. “And I said no.” She straightened her jacket. “I gotta go to the bathroom.”

He dropped his hand and she walked into the bathroom, her combat boots scuffing across the floor. She walked into the bathroom and pulled out her cell phone. She shot a text to someone and waited

**[To Sasha]: I’ve got as many minutes as you need. What’s up?**

**[To Roy]: So, apparently my dad has the hots for a girl he used to hang out with back in the day.**

**[To Sasha]: And that’s bad?**

**[To Roy]: Well, not really bad. Just that he didn’t talk to me about it.**

**[To Sasha]: Does he have to?**

**[To Roy]: Well, normally, no. It’s not my dad dating, per se.**

**[To Sasha]: Then what is it?**

**[To Roy]: It’s how he acts when he starts dating someone. Like, a few months ago, there was this girl that he seemed to be really into. Well, when they were together it was like….he ignored me.**

**[To Sasha]: Then tell him that. Tell him that you have a problem with him dating because it seems like he ignores you when he’s really into someone. Sash, you said yourself that your dad and you can talk about anything.**

**[To Roy]: We can!**

**[To Sasha]: Then talk to him about this. If you two are as close as you say you are then everything should be okay.**

**[To Roy]: How’d you get so dang smart?**

**[To Sasha]: Well, you see I’ve been hanging with this really smart girl who believes in me. I guess she’s rubbing off on me.**

**[To Roy]: LOL!! Really? Friend?**

**[To Sasha]: My best friend.**

Reading that last part made Alexa’s heart soar. **[To Roy]: Aww….thanks. Talk to you later. I gotta get back to the table. Left dad, his bodyguard and Felicity at a table together.**

**[To Sasha]: Okay. Call ya later.**

She slipped the phone back into her pocket and walked out of the bathroom. She walked back out into the dining area of the restaurant, just as one of the rowdy teens bumped into her. He snickered and said sorry.

She rolled her eyes. “Grow up, guys. You’re in public for, God’s Sakes. Not your mom’s basement.” She slid into her seat next to her father.

“You okay?” Oliver asked.

“We’ll talk about it later.”

“Lex—”

“I said we’ll talk about it later, dad.”

Hearing her tone and ‘dad’ come from her, he knew to back off. “Okay.” He looked at Dig. “I don’t see you asking her out.”

Dig stood and walked to the counter where Carly stood. Oliver looked at Felicity and said, “Felicity, this guy, he's targeting a very specific type of jewel. We figure out why, and that'll give us the how to catch him.”

“Isn’t it obvious, dad?” Alexa said sipping her Coke.

“What?”

“He’s fencing it,” she told him.

“How do you know?”

“Because the ruby was one big jewel and if I learned anything from Grandmother Bradshaw it was the market value of jewelry, so if my guessimation is correct, I’d say he’s selling them off to the highest bidder. Probably to be the Big Dog in the end.”

Oliver nodded. “Good theory. Yeah, we can definitely work with that, Lex. Good job.”

“I have an idea,” Felicity said smiling.

“Mm-hmm?”

“Your crush object with a badge said they were working with Interpol.”

“Yeah,” Oliver and Alexa said in unison.

“Why don't I work a little tech, you distract her with a little flirty flirt, slip said tech onto her phone. It'll turn into a micro transmitter, and boop, we'll learn everything she knows.”

“Hmm. It's not how I typically get my information.”

“How do you typically do it?” she asked.

“You don’t wanna know,” Alexa muttered.

He chuckled. “I find the person. And then I put the fear of God into them until they talk.” He looked at Felicity. “But we can try your way.”

Alexa smiled and tapped her father’s arm. “Good job, daddy. It’s nice to change things up a bit.” She smiled hugely at Dig. “Hey! Did she say yes?”

“Yep,” Dig said and then looked at Oliver. “Your turn.”

The tenseness in Alexa’s shoulders returned and she continued to sip her Coke. She’d just talk to her dad about McKenna later.

* * *

 

Awhile Later, Dig, Oliver, and Alexa sat in the cave waiting for Felicity to finish the transmitter tech. Alexa sighed. “Daddy.”

“Yes, Baby?”

“It’s not that I have a problem with you dating, exactly.”

“Then what, Sweetheart?”

“It’s how I’m treated when you’re dating.”

He gave her a confused look. “Wha—what do you mean?”

“You ignore me,” she admitted, her voice quivering slightly.

“Wha-wha-what?”

She exhaled again. “Helena. When you were with her it’s like I didn’t even exist. She never acted like I existed and to you I was invisible.” She took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I just don’t want to be ignored. I had that for four years with grandmother and Thea, I…..I don’t want it to happen with you. I don’t want to be shipped off to some Swiss Boarding school because you get married.”

He sighed, smiled and cocked his finger in a ‘come hither’ type of way. She stood from her chair and walked to him. He pulled her into a hug and kissed her hair. “I’m sorry you felt that way. And I promise you, when I do go out with McKenna that you will be the first subject I bring up, okay?”

She nodded into his chest. “I love you, daddy.”

He bent his head down and held her. “I love you, Baby. More than I will ever be able to express with a simple ‘I love you’.

* * *

 

**_-The Hideout A.K.A. The Cave….._ **

 

“Hey, Princess.”

Alexa spun in her chair and smiled at her father. “Yes, daddy?”

“I asked her out.”

“And….?”

“We’re going out tonight.”

She smiled. “Yay! Good job, daddy.”

“Thanks, Sweetheart. You still cool with this?”

She nodded. “Very much so.”

He nodded.

“Hey, your hot date is making a call,” Felicity announced.

“Lance.”

“Sergeant, it's Detective Hall. I have an update on the Dodger case. A body was found in an art gallery shot point blank. There were three other men there, all rendered unconscious by a highly focused electric current to the heart.”

“Same M.O. as that guard at the museum. Got an ID on the vic?”

“His name is Cass Derenick.”

“Pause,” Oliver said.

Alexa turned to the computer and typed in Cass’s name.

“Who's Cass Derenick?”

Felicity read the information off the screen, “Arrest, possession of stolen goods. Arrest, conspiracy. Conviction, attempted sale of stolen goods.”

“This guy's a fence. The Dodger's looking to unload the Sherwood Ruby,” Dig said.

“Which means I was right.”

Oliver smiled and kissed the top of her head. “Of course you were, Sweetheart. I never had any doubt.”

“Which means he'll be in the market for a new fence. One he hasn't, you know...killed,” Felicity said.

“Right,” Alexa commented.

“So we find the fence and we find the Dodger.” He looked at his watch and then at Alexa. “Let’s go home.”

* * *

 

While Dig was screwing things up with Carly, Oliver and McKenna’s date was just getting started. “So, um….I feel I should tell you something before anything here gets started.”

She nodded. “Already?”

He laughed. “Sorry, but I promised someone very important to me that I would say it first, so…..”

“Your sister?”

He started to shake his head and then looked at her confused. “Wha—what?”

“You said someone important to you, so I thought maybe—”

“No. Not my sister.” He exhaled. “I Have a daughter. Who lives with me and who is the center of my Universe.”

To say McKenna was shocked was an understatement. “You have a daughter? You’re a father?”

He nodded. “I do. I am. She’s amazing. Beautiful just like her mother was and has some of my more annoying traits.”

“Wow…..” she said, stunned. “How—How old?”

“She’ll be twelve in July.”

“Wow….that means you were….sixteen when she was born?”

He nodded. “I was. No one knew because Janine and I had decided to not say anything. That’s a long story for another time.” He sipped his water. “I just wanted to be honest with you and say, if my daughter coming first is going to be a problem then we might just want to end this here and now, because I won’t budge on that. I can’t.”

“No, of course not,” McKenna said. “I wouldn’t look at you the same way if you did. It’s just surprising to know you’re a dad.”

He smiled. “It’s the best experience of my life. And I enjoy it immensely.

She smiled. “I can tell. You know, you absolutely glow when you talk about her.”

He smiled. “Thanks.”

She smiled back. “I hope I get to meet her, but we’ll go at your pace on that one.”

“Thanks.”

* * *

 

Later that night, The Hood and SCPD couldn’t get the Dodger. However, Alexa got an idea on how to bring him out in the open. She went downstairs to the Hideout and walked up to the computer. “I have the perfect way to bring this International Jackass out into the open.” She typed away. “The Starling City Cancer Foundation’s annual fundraiser.”

“How is that going to bring him out?”

“By a family donation,” Alexa said, eying her father knowingly.

He smiled. “Sometimes, Baby, I think you’re too good for this line of work.”

“I am, daddy, which is why you’re allowing me to do it.”

“Where are we going to get our hands on a rare Spanish antiquity?”

“You really have no idea how rich his family is, do you?”

“And to make it look even better we can donate a Bradford family piece too.”

Oliver looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“Well, daddy, Grandpa Robert wasn’t the only one into Spanish antiquities. Great-grandpa was too.” She folded her arms over her chest. “I think if we have to possible bids for him he’ll definitely come out.”

“And you’re okay with that?” Oliver asked.

“Who are the Bradfords?”

“My mother’s family. I am now the last living Bradford so everything that all the generations have owned belongs to me.” She then pointed at her dad. “Oh, remind me later to talk to you about selling the mansion.”

He nodded. “Okay. You’re absolutely sure you wanna do this, Sweetheart?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I’m a part of this team, right?”

“Right,” Oliver and Dig said.

“Then if we can catch this Jerk faster with more of an incentive I say we do it.”

Oliver smiled and looked at Dig. “All right. You heard her. Let’s do this.”

* * *

 

At the auction, Alexa attempted to call Roy, but got his voicemail.

_“Hey, this is Roy. You know what to do.”_

“Hey, it’s me. I don’t know where you are or what you’re doing, but I am currently at a stupid fundraiser for my family. Call me when you get this.”

She hung up and looked around the room, but stopped when Mrs. Rothschild was very close to her. She stepped back. “Hello, Mrs. Rothschild.”

“You look so grown-up, Alexandra.”

She smiled. “Thank you.” She looked around the room again.

Everyone’s keeping their eyes open for the Dodger. However, Alexa can’t seem to get away from people who knew her great-grandfather or her father. She seen Dig walk past her and she grabbed his hand and muttered, “Help me!”

He smiled and kept his arm in her grasp. “Miss Alexandra, your father would like to see you, please.”

Alexa smiled at the older woman. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Rothschild. Please, tell George I hope he gets better, but I must go see what my father wants. Excuse me.”

“Of course, dear.”

She took Dig’s arm and walked away with him. When they were out of earshot of the woman, Alexa sighed. “Oh, thank God! I love you, Dig.”

He laughed and hugged her to his side. “Love you too, Small Fry.”

* * *

A few moments later, Alexa approached her dad and Dig. “Where’s Felicity?”

They looked around and Alexa gasped when she seen the bomb around Felicity’s neck. “No….” she whispered, her eyes swimming with tears. “Daddy.”

“Get away from me! If this thing blows...” She back’s into the pillar.

“Not going to happen,” Oliver assured her.

“The Dodger said if I called the police, he'd-- I'm going to get decapitated, aren't I?”

“No,” Alexa promised.

“The tracker's on the move. If I find him, I can get him to disarm it. Talk me in. Stay calm.”

“Too late.”

Oliver looked at Dig. “Go. Just go. Go, go, go.”

“Take Lexy with you!” Felicity exclaimed. “I’m gonna freak out if she’s here.”

He nodded. “Okay.” He motioned for her to follow him. “Come on, Sweetheart. Got your batons?”

“In my purse, daddy.”

He chuckled. “Good girl.”

She tells him that he’s moving fast so Oliver commandeers a motorcycle. He looked over his shoulder. “Get on.”

She pulled up the skirt of her dress and sat on the makeshift seat. She tapped his jacket. “Go.”

As he drove through the streets, Alexa held on enough to hold herself on the bike, but she was looking in cars to find the Dodger. With instruction from Felicity he cut through Harris Plaza. He got to the stairs and yelled to Alexa. “Raise up a little.”

“I know, dad. It’s like riding an actual bicycle downstairs.” She rose up while he went down the stairs and then lowered herself when they cleared the stairs.

With Felicity instructing them through the traffic, they found him. They chased him through the street and ended up losing him. They finally find him again. Alexa tapped her dad’s side. “Keep the bike steady.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“Test out the boomerang technology. Now, steady the bike.”

She took one of her batons and threw it at the tire of the sedan. It caught it and ended up flipping the vehicle. She smiled. “Huh. Didn’t think that would work.”

“Where’d you get the idea?”

“A movie,” she told him.

They pull up behind the sedan, Alexa slipped her mask on and climbed off the bike with her father. He gets the trigger switch from The Dodger and hands it off to Alexa. She hits the button and tapped her Bluetooth. “Did it work?” she asked as Oliver knocked out the Dodger.

“It worked, Small Fry. Felicity’s not going to lose her head today.”

She laughed. “Oh, Thank God.” She held out her hand and the baton came back to her. She put it into her bag with the other. “Daddy, you ready?”

“Yeah. We better go before the cops get here.”

They went back to the Hideout, then headed home after Oliver asked for a second chance with McKenna.


	18. Dead To Rights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Hood saves a one-percenter and Tommy discovers Oliver and Alexa's secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna say a BIG thank you to everyone who's read this story. You've exceeded my expectations about who would like this story. And I'm so happy you're gonna stick with me to the end....hopefully. I appreciate you guys more than you know.
> 
> Comments and kudos are more than welcome!

Alexa swung the bamboo stick at her father, but he blocked it. She smiled. She tried another tactic this one knocking him on his backside. She smiled. “Daddy.” She held out a hand.

He took it and said, “Yeah, Baby?”

“Uncle Tommy invited me to his birthday dinner. So, before either a) I have to make an excuse for not coming or b) I show up and surprise your girlfriend, I wanted to know if you think it’s okay?”

Felicity looked at them. “You got invited to his best friend’s birthday party?”

She nodded. “Yeah, it’s actually a birthday dinner.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s her godfather,” Oliver explained. “Or he would have been, which is where the ‘Uncle Tommy’ part comes in.” He looked at his daughter and smiled. “And I think it’s great. I’m glad you and Tommy are getting close.”

She smiled. “Me too. And I know it may have seemed sudden for me to just forgive him for blowing me off, but I put myself in his shoes. And I think I might have done the same thing. So, I forgave him.” She smiled. “I’m glad I did.”

“Me too. Did you get him something? I would put you on the bottle of wine that I bought, but that’s a little inappropriate.”

She nodded. “I know. Which is why I went through my grandfather’s collection and came out with what I think is the perfect gift. I even had it engraved.”

He smiled. “Cool. I think you need to be there then.”

She smiled and hugged him. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

* * *

 

**_-Tommy’s Party….._ **

Oliver stepped off of the elevator and walked down the hall to Tommy and Laurel’s apartment to see McKenna adjusting her shoe. “Hey. Sorry I'm late.”

“No, I am. I just got caught up at the office.”

“Me, too. Wow. You look nice.”

“Ooh.” They start kissing. “We should go inside,” she said between kisses.

“We should.” He continues kissing.

She laughed. “We don't seem to be going inside.”

“That’s because you’re not.”

Oliver stayed close but turned, his jaw fell slightly at his daughter’s look. “Wow, Lex, you look beautiful, Sweetheart.”

She shrugged. “Yeah, whatever.”

McKenna looked at the young girl from head to toe. She wore a ¾ sleeve maroon colored dress with lace overlay and silver heels. “No, your dad’s right. You look amazing.”

She smiled politely but she wasn’t feeling it. “Thank you.” She exhaled.

Oliver looked down at his daughter. “What happened to your mood? You were in good spirits earlier.” She was going through something he could tell.

She sighed. “I think Roy’s avoiding me.”

He smiled. “Why?”

“Because I texted him earlier and he hasn’t texted me back yet. Daddy that was like five hours ago.”

He smiled. “I’m sorry, Sweetheart.”

She shrugged. “It’s whatever. It’s like you and Fe said, sooner or later it was going to happen.” She looked at McKenna and then her dad. “Girlfriend?”

He nodded. “Hoping so.” He walked her back to McKenna. “McKenna Hall, this is my beautiful and amazing daughter, Alexandra. Lexy, McKenna Hall.”

Alexa smiled. “Nice to meet you, Detective.” She held out her hand to the detective.”

“You too, Alexandra. Your dad talks about you so much I feel I know you.”

She smiled. She knocked on the door. Tommy opened the door and welcomed them. He took Oliver’s gift and commented on what it was. “There’s my beautiful Goddaughter. You look amazing, Lex.”

She smiled and hugged. “Thanks, Uncle Tommy.” She handed hers to him. “It’s not a bottle of wine for obvious reasons, but I hope you like it.”

“Thank you, Miss Lexy. You didn’t have to get me anything. Knowing your dad was going to give me the honor of taking care of you if something happened to him is present enough.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into him.

Laurel smiled down at Lexy. “Hey, Beautiful. You look gorgeous.”

“Thanks, Laurel. You do too.”

After the toast, there was a knock at the door and Laurel went to answer it. It was Malcolm Merlyn. He came in with her. He looked at Oliver. “Oliver.”

“Mr. Merlyn.”

Malcolm looked down at Alexa. “Alexandra.”

“Mr. Merlyn.”

Malcolm brought his eyes back to his son. “I've been trying to get in touch with you.”

“What are you doing here, Dad?”

“Happy Birthday, Tommy.”

Tommy looked at everyone. “Just give us a second.”

“Of course.”

The rest of Tommy’s birthday dinner was tense and not very enjoyable. When Tommy came back in and to try to lighten the mood Laurel smiled at him. “Open Lexy’s present, Baby.”

He smiled. “Okay,” he said and picked up her bag. He pulled out the gift box and opened it. Inside was antique pocket watch. “Oh, Lexy…..” he gasped. “Wow….”

She smiled. “It was my great-great-great-grandfather’s. A gift from a Vanderbilt if you believe the stories.”

McKenna gasped and looked at Oliver. “Your family knew the Vanderbilts?”

He shook his head. “No. The Bradfords did. Janine Bradford is Lexy’s mother.”

Her mouth dropped open. “As in Vincent Bradford. The Richest family in Coast City?”

He nodded. “That’s them. I met Janine one summer when I was fifteen and the rest is history as they say. Over a year later and we had Lexy.”

Laurel looked down at the watch. “Are you sure you don’t want to keep this, sweetie?”

She shook her head. “Nope. I never liked Vincent anyway. He was old, grumpy and didn’t like me very well.” She smiled at Tommy. “Read the card and the back of the watch.”

He picked up the card first and read:

Godfathers are a blessing

Thank you for being mine

Love, Lexy

 

Tommy smiled and kissed her cheek. “And you’re mine. Love you, Midget.”

“I love you. Read the back.”

He read the back of the watch and smiled. “Thank you, Lex. I love it.”

“Yay,” she said and clapped happily. “I meant every word.”

He nodded. “I know you did. You always do, Beautiful.”

Just then her cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and looked up at her dad. “Can I take it?”

He nodded. “Step into the other room, though, okay?”

She nodded and jogged into the other room. She answered, “Hey. What happened to you? I called and texted and everything.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to blow you off or make you think I did anyway.”

“Are you blowing me off?”

“No, of course not. A lot of stuff has been happening around here.” He sighed. “Everything okay?”

She nodded as she answered, “Everything’s fine. I’m at a dinner for my Godfather’s birthday right now.”

“Oh, I can call back later—”

“No, it’s okay. I asked my dad if it was cool. Everything okay with you?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” he told her.

There was a knock at the door and Alexa smiled. “Ooh, that’s the food. Gotta go”

“Okay, I’ll call you later.”

“Okay. Bye.”

“Bye, Sasha.”

She hung up and rejoined everyone.

* * *

 

The next night, Felicity encrypted the assassin’s phone enough to know who he had called last. Which was the Jade Dragon. That night, Oliver took Tommy to dinner there, where he could get the information he needed.

They continued to wait for Felicity to hack the encryption but she was having very little luck. Finally, she cracked it and they saw the name. Alexa gasped. “Oh, God…..Uncle Tommy.” She spun out of her chair and grabbed her duffle. “I’m getting ready.”

Diggle goes up to get Oliver and tell him.

Moments later, they were out the door. Oliver looked at her. “Be careful. These guys are skilled fighters, okay?”

She nodded. “You too.”

When they got to Merlyn Global, they crashed through a window where Malcolm and Tommy were and Oliver fired arrows, while Alexa pressed her batons and the emitted a strong screech that had the men on their knees.

After Malcolm and Tommy were safe, Oliver looked at Alexa. “Here’s the real test of what I’ve been teaching you. Ready?”

She nodded. They came out of the shadows and started fighting. One of the men Oliver took out using an arrow. The others, they fought. Alexa slapped her guy with the right baton and then the left and flipped over him, taking him out at the legs. She then straddled him and tasered him until he passed out. When she stood her father was already finished with his men. She sighed. “You suck.”

He laughed. “You did great. Come on.”

They seen China White and he looked at Alexa. “Go check on the Merlyns. I’ve got her.”

She nodded. She ran up the stairs and to the penthouse office. She ran into the office just as an explosion happened. She flew back and slammed into a wall hard. She groaned and stood. “Ouch.”

Alexa stumbled into the room with Oliver. Oliver used his voice disguiser and told Tommy that he was there to help them. Oliver tells him what they need to do and Tommy asked, “Why should I trust you?”

This time, Oliver shut off his disguiser and in his normal voice said, “Because you always have.”

“Oliver.”

Alexa removed her eye mask and looked at Godfather. Tommy’s jaw fell. “Lexy?”

They get around everything they’re going to need for the blood transfusion. Oliver prepares it and looks at Tommy. “Ok. Ready?”

“Do it.”

They watch as the blood tracks down the tube to Malcolm. “Hold his arm.” Oliver put the needle in. And it seemed to take a while for the blood to flow. “Come on, come on, come on.”

“You're the Vigilante. Why?” Tommy asked.

“Later. He's still going to need medical attention to fully clean out his system, you understand?”

Tommy nodded. “Ok. Thank you.”

When Merlyn wakes up Oliver and Alexa were gone.

* * *

 

They got back to the Hideout and Alexa put her batons in their case and sighed. “How’s it feel to save a one-percenter?” Felicity asked.

“Looks like Malcolm Meryln's going to be ok. They took him to Starling General. Good thing he was wearing a bulletproof vest,” Dig said.

“He's not in the hospital because he was shot. He was poisoned by curare.”

Alexa bit her lip nervously. Diggle walked around them, sighed and said, “Lawton's alive.”

“I'm sorry, John.”

Diggle walked down the hall. Felicity stood behind Oliver. “This Lawton kick his dog or something?”

“No,” Both Alexa and Oliver said softly.

Alexa looked at Felicity. “He killed his brother.” Her phone buzzed and she looked at it. It was a message from Roy.

**[10:15pm]: Want a milkshake? I need one after the 48hours I’ve had.**

She smiled. “Daddy, can I meet Roy at Big Belly Burger for a milkshake?”

Oliver nodded. “Yeah. Go ahead. I’m gonna go check on Tommy and his dad.”

“Okay. Tell him that I said get well soon.” She grabbed her duffle and quickly changed into her clothes.

* * *

 

Alexa was the first one at Big Belly Burger before Roy got there so she ordered their usual flavors. A few minutes later, Roy walked in and sat down across from her. “So, what’s up? Besides a serious need for a chocolate kick.”

“I wanted to tell you what happened and why I couldn’t get back to you.”

“Okay. I’m listening.”

“I wasn’t blowing you off,” he told her. “I’d never intentionally do that to you. The thing is I got arrested.”

“What?!” She exclaimed sitting up. “For what?”

He chuckled wryly. “Here’s the funny part. For stealing your aunt’s purse.”

Her jaw dropped and then she laughed. “Oh, God! And she let you live?”

He laughed. “What do you mean?”

“Aunt Thea loves her designer labels. She always has.”

“Yeah, I’m alive to tell the tale.”

She scoffed and thanked Carly. “Wow. I’m surprised. I took a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes once and I thought she was going to have a coronary right then and there.”

He laughed. “How are you two so different? I mean, you’re both Queens.”

She nodded. “We are, but for five years I never worried about clothes and who designed them. I was just grateful to have them.” She sighed and scratched her forehead. “My grandmother didn’t treat me well. In fact, you could say she kind of treated me like Cinderella or something.”

“How’d you get out of it?”

“My dad came home and put his foot down. From the moment he stepped foot in the house and knew that I was there he made sure I was no longer hidden. Much to the chagrin of my grandmother, of course.”

“Well, I think it’s kinda cool that you’re different.”

She smiled. “Me too. I don’t know what I would do with myself if I had more designer clothes than I do. I mean, do have some, but not a lot and that’s my choice.” She shrugged. “The only custom made things I got on right now is this necklace,” she showed it to him. “My mom gave it to me when I was a baby. It’s a picture of my dad holding me. From the time I was three I’ve never taken it off.”

“That’s cool. What’s the other thing?”

“My boots. My dad got them for me for Christmas.”

He smiled. “That’s cool. You don’t act entitled like she does either.”

She shrugged. “I don’t know about that. I’m not entitled to anything. I have money and property but I’ve never flaunted it. Not like the Queens do.” She shrugged. “Which is probably why I like to donate it or sell it off.”

Roy smiled. It still amazed him how different Thea and Alexa actually were. But they were different in good ways.


	19. The Huntress Returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helena returns to kill her father. Oliver and McKenna start to get serious and fizzle out pretty quickly after her encounter with the Vigilante and the Huntress. And Alexa has her first experience in why heart breaks suck.

Oliver walked down the stairs into the main dance floor of the newly finished club, McKenna was ahead of him. As they walked onto the floor, Stand by Me by Prince Royce filled the room—not as loudly if there were people in the club but enough—but loud enough for people to hear as they did their work.

He smiled. “Lexy, Sweetheart, come say hi to Detective Hall, please.”

“Just a minute, daddy,” she said smiling at Detective Hall. She slid the box up on the counter and looked at the guy that stood behind the bar. She tapped the top of the box. “Uncle Tommy told me to tell you stock these at the bar.”

“Okay….where?”

She looked around. “Well, that would work,” she said pointing at the empty shelf behind him.

“That’s where the alcohol—”

“The alcohol should go above you on those shelves so that people can see them while they order.”

The man behind the bar looked up to see Oliver standing there with a stern look on his face. “You heard her.”

“Wow,” McKenna said, impressed. “She runs it like a pro.”

He smiled. “She should. She owns half of it.”

Lexy picked up the clipboard and then walked over to McKenna. “Hi, Detective.”

She smiled. “Hi. How have you been?”

She smiled back. “I'm okay," she said honestly.

“LEXY!”

“COMING UNCLE TOMMY!” she yelled back. She looked at her dad and McKenna. “Sorry, Uncle Tommy needs me.” She smiled politely at McKenna. “Nice to meet you, Detective.”

“Please, call me McKenna.”

She smiled. “You can call me Alexa.” She looked up at her dad. “There’s something I wanna talk to you about later.”

He nodded. “You got it.”

She started heading to where Tommy was, as she walked she pulled out her phone and kept walking as she typed. McKenna turned to Oliver and smiled up at him. “She’s beautiful.”

“Thank you. She gets it from her mother.”

She laughed softly. “I see you in there too, Oliver.” She took his arm for a moment. “’Uncle Tommy’?”

He nodded. “My best friend Tommy Merlyn. If Janine and I could have told him about Lexy she would have been his Goddaughter.”

* * *

 

Meanwhile, in the Glades, Roy walked out of a business that had signs up about some quick cash when Thea saw him. She walked up to him and teased him about stealing people’s purses and taking breaks. He looked past her like he was looking for someone. “Looking for someone?”

“Just a friend,” he answered simply as his phone beeped at him to indicate a message. He pulled it out of his pocket. He read the message:

**[4:38pm]: I’m so sorry! I can’t make it! Forgive me?**

Thea watched a smile slide across his lips as he quickly sent a text back. “Who’s that?”

“Why do you care? You my parole officer?” He snapped back.

She starts talking about him doing honest work and she suggests the club.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Oliver and Alexa walked downstairs into the Hideout to see what Dig wanted. “Yo,” Oliver called to him.

Lexy smiled. “You wanted to see us, Dig?”

“Where you been?” Dig asked.

“Oh, I thought I'd give myself a rare morning in.” He smiled when he seen the look on Diggle’s face. “Don't look at me like that. Lexy and I had breakfast. The club is opening, finally. McKenna and I are going on date number six tonight, which is... It's significant. And, uh, I don't know. It seemed like a good day to give the bad guys a rest.”

“Well, it's the bad girls that I'm worried about.”

“Helena.”

“What does she want?” Alexa muttered glaring at the computer screen.

Yes, or as I like to call her, your psycho ex-girlfriend. This was taken at Alley Cats, the strip joint. The police report lists the stiff's name as Gus Sabatoni.”

“That's Bertinelli's lawyer.”

Lexy looked at her dad and then Dig. “I don’t understand. Why would she care about him? He didn’t even do his job well. Mr. Bertinelli is serving consecutive life sentences.”

“Come on, we knew this was just a matter of time. You tried to help her, you couldn't. Now the only question is, how long before she drops the dime on you, me, your daughter, this whole operation.”

“Ok. I want you to get in touch with the contacts in the Bratva. Talk to anyone on the street, figure out where Helena is, why she's back.”

“Ok. But Oliver—"

“Dig, if she's here, she's here for a reason. If that's not Frank Bertinelli, we need to know what she has planned.”

“Ok.”

“Come on, Princess. Let’s see what Aunt Thea wanted.”

* * *

 

When Oliver and Alexa went home they found Helena on their couch talking to Thea. Before she leaves she threatens Thea and Moira. That night at the club, it’s a huge hit. Moira’s toasting Oliver and congratulating him on an amazing business venture.”

He smiled and nodded. “I couldn’t have done it without Lexy.”

Lexy blinked at him in surprise. “Me?”

He nodded. “Yeah. If you weren’t there when I got home it wouldn’t have motivated me to push to make you proud of me.”

She smiled softly. She lifted her soda and sipped. “Thank you, but I’m your daughter. I’m always going to be proud of you.” She looked him in the eyes. “You’re my hero.”

“Aww,” Thea and McKenna chorused.

Oliver pulled her into a hug. He bent down. “I love you, Lexy-O.”

“I love you too, daddy.”

* * *

 

A little while later, Oliver trotted downstairs and got handed a note. He read it and went downstairs quickly to find Alexa pleading with Helena to let her Godfather go. “Please, Helena. Please, let him go! I’m begging you, please! He has nothing to do with what my father and I have been doing. Just let him go.”

“Listen to her, Helena. He has nothing to do with this.”

“I told you. Oliver, I warned you.”

“Helena! This isn't you.”

“My father is a mobster and a murderer. It is not like you haven't killed men like that before!”

“And I tried to teach you to obtain your objective without killing!”

“By applying leverage. By exploiting someone's weakness.” She wrenched Tommy’s arm and he screamed.

“Uncle Tommy!” Alexa exclaimed.

Helena kept her eyes on Oliver. “There is a whole club full of leverage above our heads right now. Please. Oliver, don't make me do something that both of us will regret.”

“Ok! Ok. You win. I'll help you. Let him go. Let...Him...Go!”

She let him go but not without wrenching his arm again. Alexa came to him. “Uncle Tommy, you okay?”

“Yeah,” he seethed in pain.

Alexa glared at her. “You got what you wanted now get the hell out of my damn basement!”

She smirked. “Oh, she’s cute!”

Alexa closed the gap on her. “Daddy….” She said in her warning voice.

“Helena, just go before me talking to my daughter won’t make her back down.”

* * *

 

“Don't say it,” Oliver told him.

“Ok. Then let's talk about Helena. Oliver, if you didn't still have feelings for this girl, you would have thought of a different solution than letting her extort you into killing someone.”

“So, what do you want me to do? You want me to kill her?”

“I think you would have a long time ago if she looked like me instead of the T-Mobile girl. She's a stone cold killer, Oliver.”

“She's not evil. She's been lost since her father killed her fiancé in cold blood.

“Oh, my God!” Alexa exclaimed. “Do you hear yourself right now!”

“What?”

“She’s not Laurel. You have no idea what this girl is like, dad! She’s not some sweet and innocent girl that you can hold up on a pedestal like you do Laurel.” She rubbed her forehead. “Her actions are unforgivable. She almost broke Uncle Tommy’s arm to extort us into helping her, dad! This girl has gone way past needing help because of her father killing her fiancé.” She walked over to Dig and stopped, turning. “Besides, if she hadn’t been so careless to begin with and left evidence that she was talking to the FBI Bertinelli wouldn’t have found it and he wouldn’t have ordered the hit on him.” She pushed her hair over her shoulder. “If you ask me, it’s her fault. All of this is her fault.” She raised an eyebrow. “And yours.”

He looked at her, eyes narrowing. “Why my fault?”

“Because if you weren’t so blinded by the fact that you have some delusional type of feelings for her you would have done what you set all this up for to begin with….to get rid of the people that have failed this City.” She walked to her father, squaring her shoulders. “If you ask me, both Bertinellis have failed this City.”

“You're right. Ok? I can't kill her. And I can't take her to the police and risk her exposing all of this. But at least, if I'm involved, I can contain her, all right? I can minimize the collateral damage.”

“That’s fine, but I’m—” Alexa turned to see Helena walking in.

“Sorry, am I... interrupting something?”

“We were just... talking about you.”

She looked at Diggle. “And here I thought you didn't care much for me.”

“Still don't.”

Oliver looked at her. “I haven't been able to locate the safe house where the FBI is keeping your father.”

“I can help with that,” Felicity said as she walked into the Hideout. “I've been dying to hack into the FBI security system.”

“Get out!” Alexa exclaimed.

“Get out. Get out. This is a private thing, Felicity. Please.”

Alexa looked at her. “Please, Fe, get out, okay?”

She nodded. “Oh. Ok. See ya, I guess...”

“How many girlfriends do you have, exactly?”

Alexa glared. “Felicity’s not his girlfriend. She’s my friend….well, actually more like a mom.” Her eyes narrowed even more. “Like my father said, we were unable to find it. However dad Like I said what we do know is that the Marshall service is taking your father to a hearing at the Justice Department tonight.” He looked at her. “There's a problem...Helena. There are two vans. And one of them's a decoy.”

“Well, it's a good thing there's two of us, then.”

“Three of us,” Alexa corrected. She looked at her father. “I’m not letting you do this alone. You can’t seem to be very objective, so I’m gonna be your voice of reason whether you like it or not.”

He nodded. “Right. The three of us.” He looked at Helena. “It's not too late to call this off.”

“I think you know me better than that. I don't take prisoners.”

“Fine,” Diggle said as he stood. He walked to her. “However, if your recklessness, either one of yours gets her hurt or killed I will hunt you both down and kill you with my bare hands. Are we clear?” That last part was pointed at Helena.”

“Crystal,” Helena told him.

Oliver looked at Alexa. “Suit up, Sweetheart. Your batons are charging too.” He smiled and held up a finger. “But one more thing, my Beautiful Little Girl.”

“What?”

He held up keys. She looked at him curiously. He smiled. “I bought you a bike.”

She squealed. “Are you kidding me?!”

He shook his head. “Nope. It’s yours, but it’s our little secret, okay?”

She nodded. Helena scoffed. “Does she even know how to ride that thing?”

Alexa glared at her. “I don’t know, did you finally figure out how to hit your target?”

Oliver chuckled. “Okay, baby, go get dressed.”

She nodded. She grabbed her duffle and went into a darkened area of the basement. She quickly changed and walked back out. Helena smirked. “Aww, don’t she look cute.”

“Daddy, may I hurt her now?”

He smiled. “Not right now, Princess. Get on your bike.”

* * *

 

They stopped at the corner and Oliver said to Helena. “Just your father. Anyone else gets hurt and I'll put an arrow in you.”

“That's sweet. Now I know how you charmed your cop girlfriend.”

“Dad, my offer to beat her to a bloody pulp still stands.”

He smirked. “Just go, Lex.”

She cranked the handles and peeled out. Oliver followed. However, their van was empty. When they got back to Helena, she was being arrested.

“Damn it,” he whispered.

“What if…..?”

“We’ll have to break her out. Or I will, okay?”

She nodded. They took off. He went to the precinct and she went to the Hideout. She walked downstairs and put her helmet on the table. She swiped up her Bluetooth just as her cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID. She swiped to answer. “Hey, Roy. What’s up?”

“Can we talk?”

“Uh….I can’t talk right now. Um….can I call you later?”

“Yeah, but it’s important, okay?”

She nodded. “Okay. I’ll call you as soon as I get home. I promise.” She hung up and put her phone beside her. She sat down in the chair and tapped her Bluetooth. “Hey, daddy.”

“Hey, beautiful. Still being my voice of reason?”

She smiled. “Always.”

After he breaks Helena out, he tells her to get out, and goes to see McKenna.

* * *

 

Felicity turned in her chair and began to hang up the phone when she seen Helena standing there. “Hi, I don’t think we got a chance to be properly introduced.”

Felicity hung up the phone, but not before pressing a button that would tell someone. Alexa’s phone buzzed and she looked at the display. “Oh, crap!”

“What is it?” Dig asked.

“Fe’s in trouble.” She quickly dialed her father’s number, but got voicemail. “Damn it!”

“Lex, you shouldn’t—”

“I know. When dad gets away from McKenna long enough tell him that Fe’s in trouble and I went to help.”

“Lex, you should stay—”

“No!” She exclaimed. “Don’t you get it?! Fe’s my best friend. She’s my confidant. She.....” she exhaled as her eyes welled with tears. “She….she’s like a mom to me. I have to help if I can.”

Dig just looked into her eyes and knew she was seriously determined. He tossed her the Bluetooth. “Fine, but put that in. I want to have contact with you at all times, okay?”

She caught the Bluetooth and walked out. She pulled her phone out and called her father. She got his voicemail again. She sighed. “Dad, it’s me. Um…..just so you know, your psycho ex has put Felicity, my best friend, in danger. If that woman hurts her in any way I won’t forgive you this. I won’t.” She hung up and headed to her bike.

* * *

 

Alexa stepped off the elevator at Queen Consolidated just as Oliver had. “Lexy.”

She turned around. “Ahh….so you did come up for air.”

“Alexandra.”

She exhaled. She walked into Felicity’s office, ready to strike, but no one was there. Oliver came around his daughter and looked. “Felicity?”

“Oliver?”

“Fe,” Alexa said and slid across the floor. She cut the ropes off of Felicity’s hands and Oliver got her feet.

“Are you okay?” Oliver asked.

She reassured him she was fine. Then Dig showed up, Oliver was ready to strike, but stopped. Oliver vows to take care of her this time. Alexa stands. “I’m coming with you.”

“No,” he said firmly.

“Yes,” she said just as firmly. “It was one thing when she hurt Uncle Tommy, but she sought Fe out, daddy.”

He seen that look before. When he tried to tell Janine no. Didn’t get him very far either. He smiled. “Sweetheart, I know how you feel about her. I really do and I promise you with everything that I am I will make this right, okay?”

She nodded. He smiled. “But please, stay with Felicity and Dig, okay? For me?”

She took a deep breath and looked at him. “Okay.” She watched him walk away. “Daddy.”

“Yeah?”

She smiled. “You’re still my hero. Come back to me, okay?”

He nodded. “Always.”

She watched him walk away and then turned on her heel to walk back into Felicity’s office. But remembering she had to call Roy, she pulled her phone out and dialed. “Hey, it’s me. What did you want to talk to me about?

“Uh…..okay, um….I’m not exactly sure how to say this, but uh….Thea kissed me and I—”

“Thea kissed you? My Thea? My aunt Thea?”

“Yeah. And before you freak out, I like her, Sash. I really do.”

“But…..my aunt…..Roy….” A heavy weight settled in her chest. She felt like she’d been gut punched and had the wind knocked out of her. “How…..?” she sobbed. Her heart broke. She took a deep breath and said, “Okay. Um….” God, she couldn’t even piece together any words. “Um….I-I-I-I-I h-h-hope you-you-you’re happy!” she said before she hung up and sank to her knees, sobbing.

Inside Felicity’s office, Dig and Felicity looked at each other, totally perplexed by the noise. They both rushed out to find Alexa on the floor, balled forward, sobbing. Felicity touched Dig’s arm in a way that said, ‘I got this’. She went to her own knees very gracefully and got Alexa to look at her. “What happened?”

“Roy….” Another round of sobs overtook her and she put her head on Felicity’s legs.

“Shh….” Felicity said smoothing out her hair. “It’s okay, Baby. What happened with Roy?”

After a few minutes of silence, she muttered, “He’s dating someone.”

Felicity’s heart shattered as she heard Alexa begin to cry again. “Oh, Baby, I’m so sorry. I’m so very sorry.”

“It hurts!” she cried.

Felicity looked up at Dig, tears in her own eyes and she then leaned forward kissing Alexa’s hair. “I know it hurts, baby.”

“Why’s it gotta hurt?”

“Because you cared about him,” Dig said softly.

Felicity smoothed out her hair. “Do you wanna come home with me?”

She nodded into her legs and Felicity looked at Dig. He nodded. “I’ll tell Oliver. You just take her home and you feel better soon, Lex, okay?”

“Okay, Dig,” she answered between sniffles.

Felicity stands and helps Alexa to her feet. “Come on, let’s go home, Sweetie and eat as much ice cream as we want.”


	20. Salvation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexa's trying to get over her feelings for Roy. Thea feels threatened by Roy and Alexa's friendship. Roy gets kidnapped. Roy discovers exactly how conniving Thea can be.

It’d been a couple of weeks or so since Roy told her that he was going to start dating her aunt. It still and she had no idea where the feeling of betrayal had come from, but it was there and it was raw. She went downstairs that morning to get breakfast when Thea called out to her.

Alexa smiled at her. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” Thea said. “So, Roy told me about you.”

Her brow furrowed in confusion. “Told you about me? What do you mean?”

“That the two of you are friends.” She walked away of her and then stopped, which forced Alexa to stop.

“Is that a problem?”

“Well, normally no, but it also explains this slump you’re in.”

Alexa looked at Thea and almost laughed as she realized what Thea was going to say. In fact she did laugh. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but you really need to check your insecurities at the door.” She walked around her and down the stairs.

Thea caught up to her. “I’m not insecure.”

She looked at her and folded her arms over her chest. “Really? Is that why you’re trying in a round about way to tell your twelve year old niece to back off, because you’re not insecure?” She laughed. “You may want to invest in a dictionary, Aunt Thea and look up the word ‘insecure’ it might surprise you.”

She continued to walk into the living room, when Thea pulled on her arm to bring her back to her. “So, are you?”

Alexa laughed again. “Why are you so worried about it? It’s not like Roy and I can do anything and he’s got you,” she shoved her hands into her coat pocket, “what’s there to worry about?”

“Because you seemed to have charmed him, Lex, in some way and he apparently cares a lot about you.”

She nodded. “Right. We’re friends. That’s what friends are supposed to do is care about each other.” She turned and started walking away, but Thea said something to her that made her whirl around and yell, “Why do you fricking care?! He’s yours. You’ve got him. And I’m just some underage kid, Thea! Why does it matter to you so much that we’re still friends or not? Again, check your insecurities at the door, because an eighteen year old young woman shouldn’t be insecure by a twelve-year-old girl and if you are that’s on you.”

“No, that’s on you!” Thea shot back.

“How?”

“Because he trusts you. According to him you’re his best friend because you’re in the same boat. To which I’m still trying to understand. Considering you come from two of the richest families in the country.”

“Because I was literally the poor little rich girl living with you and grandmother for five years. I was ignored, made to do chores and other things while you and Grandmother sat high on your pedestals and did whatever you wanted.” She glared at her aunt. “I may have been the illegitimate child of your brother’s but that doesn’t mean I didn’t deserve to be treated human. And you and grandmother never did. The only two people in this damn house who ever treated me decently was Raisa and Walter.” She pushed her ponytail over her shoulder and glared at her aunt. “So, yes, Roy and I are friends. And he’s dating you and even though I feel betrayed by that fact, I can’t stop either one of you.” She closed the gap between the two of them and said, “However, you hurt him in any way then I will break every bone in your body and you’ll be in a cast for months.”

“Good morning,” Oliver announced walking into the living room.

Alexa kept her gaze on Thea and then smiled at her father. “Morning, daddy. How’d you sleep?”

“Pretty well. How about you?”

She shrugged. “Okay, I guess.”

“Did you stay up crying, Sweetheart?”

“Not really,” she said honestly. She sighed. “All’s okay. I promise, daddy.”

He smiled. “Good. Good morning, Thea.”

“Morning.”

Alexa sat down across from her father and picked up another part of the newspaper. She opened it and started reading.

* * *

 

That night, Alexa was on the salmon ladder working out while her father was on one of the bars above Felicity’s head. She looked over at the beautiful blond and watched as her eyes traveled to watch her father. She smirked. It would seem her best friend had a crush on her dad. She heard her cell phone ringing again, with Roy’s ringtone and like the other times she ignored it and continued her workout.

Diggle looked over at Alexa as she continued the ladder and heard the music again. He looked at Felicity. “How’s she doing?”

“She’ll be okay. She’d be doing even better if someone’s precious sister would stop accosting her in the mornings to stay away from Roy.”

Oliver looked down at her. “What do you mean?”

“Well, it would seem that your eighteen year old sister is feeling threatened and insecure by your twelve year old daughter,” she said lifting his eyes to look at him.

Oliver scoffed out a laugh. “What?”

She nodded. “This morning she all but told her to stay away.” She exhaled. “Oliver, she’s trying to move on and be okay with the fact that your sister is dating her best friend. But she told me the other night that it feels like he’s betraying her.”

“Why?”

“Because she vented to him about Thea, about your mother, about you, about Dig and me. She vented about Thea’s treatment of her and now they’re dating. She just feels hurt that even though he kept saying she was a friend, a best friend, she’s wondering if he actually was anything at all.”

Oliver sighed and lifted himself up again.

“ _Lawyers for John Nickels spoke to the press today. They say they're pleased the D.A. declined to indict their client on charges stemming from the recent fire in one of Nickel's buildings_.”

Oliver lifted again. “John Nickel is one of the wealthiest real estate developers in Starling City. He's also one of the dirtiest. That building that burnt down last night? Wiring was not up to code.”

“Maybe he didn't know that.”

“I guess he also didn't know about the seven people who have frozen to death in his other buildings over the past three years,” he countered.

“Yeah, he's a real man of the people,” Diggle said dryly.

Oliver grunted as he hopped down. “Not for long. The D.A. ignores this, and the police can't do anything because all these slums are in the Glades. So tonight, Felicity, we cross Mr. Nickel's name off the list. You ok with that?”

“ _The scene outside of the courtroom where Nickel was released this afternoon was not surprisingly tense_.”

Felicity looked at the screen. “100 percent.”

“Sweetheart.”

“Yeah?” She grunted as she went to another wrung on the ladder.

“Do you want to come with me?”

“Are you….” She hopped up to another wrung. “…..just going to talk to him?”

“Yep,” he answered.

“Then no. I think I’ll stay here with Fe and Dig while you play your favorite game, daddy.”

“Okay, Sweetheart.” He opened his mouth to say something more, but her phone rang again, Roy’s ringtone. “He really wants to talk to you.”

“Yeah. Thea probably blabbed her mouth and said I freaked out on her or something.” She jumped down and walked to her father. “I really don’t want to hear that. So, I’m ignoring it.”

“Okay, Sweetheart.”

He came back about 2 hours later and told them that Nickel was just taken. Alexa hopped down from where she was working out and looked at her father. “What do you mean taken?”

“Just that, Sweetheart.”

She grabbed her towel and padded herself dry. “Did you see someone or hear anything?”

“I heard something.”

She nodded. She looked at Dig.

“Looks like Nickel was on somebody else's list, too.”

“After the fire last night, it's not entirely surprising.”

“Yeah, but daddy, is he just a ticked off tenant or another vigilante who wants his fifteen minutes?”

“I don’t know,” Oliver said. “Felicity, I need you to get me everything that you can on Nickel. Focus on his tenants, and anyone who might have filed a formal complaint against him, or... people that lost something in the fire.”

“Well, it's going to be some list. I mean, slum lords aren't generally known for their popularity. Plus...”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Alexa smiled. “Fe, we talked about this. Just say it.”

“It's just-- you went over there to be all, "grrr, stop being bad or I'll arrow you," and now you want to rescue him.”

“I don't like the idea that somebody dangerous is out there.”

She turned in her chair and gave him a look.

He exhaled. “Somebody else. Because typically they don't show my level of restraint.”

He walked over and picked up the book. “So you're going to cross Nickel off anyway?”

“No. I'm finding somebody else who needs a talking to.” He began searching for a name.

“You're going out there again, Oliver? Why don't you go home and be with your family, man?”

“That's when the work is done, Diggle.”

“Ok, then I'll take you out to dinner.”

“I'm not hungry.”

“I'm not asking.” He leaned into his friend. “Come on, man. Your daughter, your little girl just got her first heartbreak, you should do something with her.”

Oliver exhaled. “You’re right.” He looked over at Alexa. “Wanna go to dinner with me and Dig?”

“Not really hungry,” she said honestly.

“Then come for the company,” he said smiling.

She smiled. “Okay.”

* * *

 

They walked into Big Belly Burger and headed for their usual table. As they walked to their usual table, a man’s leg came out to stop Alexa. She took a step back and then looked at the dark eyes of one of Roy’s friends. She looked at Oliver and Dig and shook her head. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Hey, Zack. What’s up?”

“Where’s our boy?”

“Our boy?” she asked brow furrowing again.

“Yeah. Roy. Where is he?”

She shrugged. “I have no idea. If you four don’t know then how am I supposed to know?”

“Because you two were pretty attached at the hip,” another of his friends, this one was named Adam said.

She nodded. “We were. However, we’re no longer, so if you lose him that’s on you, Boys.” She took her father’s arm. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’m having dinner with my father.”

“Who was that?” Dig asked.

“Roy’s friends. I’ve only met them a couple of times. Roy usually kept me away from ‘his world’.” She exhaled and ran her hands through her hair. “And now I’m probably going to lose a friend because Aunt Thea’s threatened by me being friends with him.”

“Hey,” Oliver said. “If Roy stop’s being friends with you because he’s dating Thea then he wasn’t a very good friend to begin with.”

She sighed. “Remind me of this moment if I get feelings for someone else that is associated with this family.”

Oliver chuckled softly. “I will, Sweetheart.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “It’ll get easier, Baby, I promise.”

She nodded. “Fe says that too.”

Diggle smiled. “Felicity’s extremely smart.”

She nodded. “She is. You know the other night, when she took me home, we went to the store and she got three different ice creams. Rocky Road, Mint Chocolate chip and Chocolate chip cookie dough.”

Oliver smiled. “Did you eat them all?”

She shook her head. “No. Just the mint chocolate chip one. She figured we’d use the others for if I had a setback.”

He nodded. “Good idea.”

She sighed again. Why did she keep getting the feeling that moving on was going to be harder than she thought?

While out to dinner, they see a video of John Nickel being murdered on the internet. When he was killed Alexa gasped. “Dad…..”

Oliver grabbed his coat and hers. “Come on, Baby.” He looked at Dig. “Come on.”

* * *

 

“Anything new?”

“This guy's definitely got more than a subscription to "Wired." His website's protected by some very serious encryption.”

“Well, use that air magnet thing, you said that it could trace—"

Oliver! No offense. Do I tell you how to sharpen your arrows?”

“Well, what if we—”

“Spoke to my friend at the NSA. The website code matches a cyber crusader who's been on their radar. He hacks into fringe sites under the user name "The Savior." NSA believes he's a former resident of the Glades.”

“Former?”

“Yeah, well, a year ago, he hacked himself right off the radar. He erased all traces of his existence.”

“So what happened a year ago?”

“What if we tried that locating code you showed me a few nights ago.”

Felicity smiled and hugged. “I love you!”

She laughed. “I love you too.”

While she typed away, the screen came on with another message from the Savior

“ _We're back. I have with me assistant district attorney Gavin Carnahan_ ,” the Savior said.

The DA grumbling something.

“Now, DAs are supposed to go after bad guys. But this one can't even be bothered to bring them to trial. Like the ones who killed my wife in a bodega.”

“Felicity...”

“I'm on it.”

“ _They said there wasn't enough evidence. You think the evidence would have turned up if she'd been killed in one of Starling City's nicer neighborhoods_?”

Alexa took one of the empty computers and started typing too. “Found it!”

“Go.”

“Emma Falk. Grieving husband is Joseph Falk.”

“What do we have on him?”

This time it was Felicity. “Not much. 42, former city worker. Department of transportation, computer technician, left his job when she was killed. One year ago today. No current phone, no current address.”

On the computer screen, “ _Gavin, you're a lawyer. You're used to making a case. So go ahead. I'm going to give you ten minutes to deliver the closing argument of your life_.”

Felicity starts her search for him. After a few minutes she tells Oliver 23rd and Mira. He grabbed his helmet. “I’m coming with you, daddy.”

“Hurry up.”

She nodded. She grabbed her helmet and ran after him, picking up her batons as she went. They both got on their bikes, put their helmets on and took off through the streets of the Glades.

They got to the cross streets and got off their bikes and went inside. They split up and searched the floors, busting in every door. “Can’t find him!” Oliver yelled.

“Fe!”

“Are you sure this is the place?”

She went back to her computer and typed in. “Oh crap!”

“What?” Oliver and Alexa said in unison.

“How is this possible? This can’t happen! He’s….”

“Felicity…..” Alexa said.

“Talk to me!” Oliver yelled.

“Wait!” There was a pause. “He moved. Just north of you. Ocean and Grand.”

“On my way.” He looked at Alexa. “Do you remember your training on this part?”

She nodded confidently. He smiled. “Okay. Then lets do this.”

They began jumping from rooftop to rooftop. They then jumped the fire escapes, vehicles and then a fence and were now on foot. Oliver yelled at Felicity.

Dig and Felicity watched Carnahan die. Dig informed him. They headed back to their motorcycles. “Daddy.”

“Yes, Baby?”

“When we get back, will you do me a favor?”

“Anything.”

“Don’t yell at Fe for losing him, okay? She’s gonna feel bad enough because Carnahan died and she was supposed to find him.”

He nodded. “I promise, Sweetheart.”

* * *

 

When they get back to the Hideout, Alexa went to find Tommy and Oliver and Felicity talked. They got down to work on stuff upstairs when a newscast came on and Alexa turned and gasped. “Oh, God….Roy!” She ran to the door and ran down into the basement. “Dad! Dad, come quick!”

“What is it?”

“Hurry! That jackass has Roy!”

“Wait. What?”

She pulled him upstairs. They came back up and Oliver watched him. Tommy pointed at the TV. “I know that kid.”

“Me too.”

“OLLIE!”

Alexa sighed as all the attention was on Thea. She watched Tommy and her father and for the first time since her dad was home she felt ignored. She turned on her heel and walked downstairs.

“Oh, Lex, maybe you shouldn’t—”

“I know, Fe,” Alexa told her. “I was the one that pulled daddy upstairs. But of course, just like with Roy as soon as Thea came in everyone forgets about me.” She released a shaky breath as tears swam to her eyes. She walked up to the screen and touched Roy’s face. She turned back to Felicity and her tears were falling. “I’m….I’m…..I’m gonna go change.”

As Alexa went to change, Oliver came downstairs. “Where’s Lexy?”

“Why do you care?” Felicity snapped. “Thea’s upstairs. Go be with her.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” Felicity told him. “You have a daughter you know. A daughter who cares about Roy just as much as Thea, maybe more. But do we bother to comfort her as she watches her best friend on TV. You do realize her best friend may die tonight, right? Oh, wait, you didn’t bother to do that. You turned to your crying sister and make a promise to your sister that you’ll find him.”

“And we will.”

“Did you bother to tell Lexy that?!” She stood and walked to the middle of the room. “God, Oliver, she’s your daughter!”

“You don’t have to keep reminding me of that. I was there the second she came into the world.”

“Then if that’s true how about you make the promises to her that you make so easily to Thea.” She sighed. “You know, just because she fights alongside you doesn’t mean she doesn’t need to hear them. Or did you forget that you’re her hero too.” She sat back down. “Did it ever occur to you that you’re the only Queen that actually cares about her? Your mother obviously has never cared. And your sister just wants her to leave her boyfriend alone.”

“Where is my daughter, Felicity?”

“Right here.”

He turned to see her totally suited up in her crime-fighting jumpsuit. Her mask was even in place and her blond hair flowing down her back. “Hey, Baby.”

“Hi, dad,” she said firmly. “We better hurry.” She exhaled. “Roy’s never been good under pressure and knowing his life hangs in the balance he’s going….”

“Hey,” Oliver said coming to her. “We’re gonna find him.

She scoffed and pushed his hand off her shoulder. “Don’t comfort me, dad. Apparently I don’t deserve it.” She looked at Felicity. “Is there a way to figure out where he is?”

“I can try, but from what I’ve been listening to I can’t—”

“Play it.”

She played it and Dig and Alexa exchanged a knowing look. “The subway!”

“Starling City doesn’t have a subway.”

“Not now,” Alexa told him.

“My dad used to take me to Rockets games and we would ride the subway to get there,” Dig told him.

Alexa leaned over Felicity’s computer and typed something in. She studied the old Subway tunnel map. “Daddy, look.”

He looked at the screen. She pointed it out. “There’s 23rd and Mira. And Ocean and Grand.”

“That’s it!” Felicity exclaimed. “He was there, but he was just underground. In the subway tunnels.”

Alexa looked at Dig. “But I thought when they closed the subway down, that they would have stopped the flow of electricity there too?”

He shrugged. “Apparently not.”

Felicity tells them where he’d be stopping. Oliver looked at Alexa. “Lets go, Sweetheart. We gotta save your best friend.”

* * *

 

As they went to Spring Street and worked their way downward, Roy’s been given 10 minutes to plead his case. Thanks to her Bluetooth she can hear Roy and he’s telling the Savior to kill because he’s just a big waste. Alexa stopped. “Oh, God…..Roy…..no.” She looked at Oliver. “Daddy….”

He walked to her this time. “Hey, we’ll get him back before he can do anything to him than he’s already done, okay? I promise.”

Oliver watched the tears well up behind her mask and his heart shattered. “Hey, hey, hey. Look at me, Princess, please.”

She looked up at him.

“I know you think I care about Thea more than you, but that’s not true. I love you, Lexy. Whether you believe me right now or not, you’re my entire world and I’m sorry I made you feel like your feelings for Roy didn’t matter.” He exhaled. “I guess I gotta realize that my baby sister’s not entirely perfect.”

She scoffed. “That’s putting it mildly.” She sniffled and then cleared her throat. “Let’s do this, daddy.”

They got onto the sub car where Roy was and Oliver smashed through the glass. He threw an arrow to Roy and it stuck into one of his restraints, while Alexa crashed through another pane of glass in the door. She flipped her disguiser on and looked at Roy. “I’m gonna get you free.”

“No!” The Savior yelled. “He’s gotta pay for what he did!”

“And what made you judge, jury and executioner for that, huh?” She pointed at her head. “Why don’t you get out of your head and out of your grief and think about other people for once? Just because your wife died by the hands of some gangbangers doesn’t mean that he gets to die to prove your point.” She held up a hand. “We all know the Glades are going to hell, but instead of complaining about it and kidnapping and murdering people to make your point, how about you be the one to lead the charge for change?”

Back at the Hideout, Dig fist pumped the air and Felicity exclaimed, “Yes!” at Alexa’s speech.

Alexa turned back to Roy. Oliver looked at The Savior. “If you kill him. You won’t give him the opportunity to show you he can change. Give him a second chance.”

The Savior looked at Oliver. “We’re the only ones who can save this City.”

She pulled the arrow from the wall and handed it to him. “Cut that side. I’ll get this side.”

While they were cutting him free, The Savior turned on them and fired. Alexa grabbed Roy and pushed him to floor, covering him. She groaned when she felt the bullet ricochet off of the bar and graze across her skin. She looked at Roy. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Thank you.”

She nodded. “You’re welcome.” She stood up and walked over to Oliver and then they disappeared.

* * *

 

**_Hideout….._ **

They get back to the Hideout and Alexa immediately whipped off her mask. She unzipped the top part of her jumpsuit and took it down. Felicity looked at her suspiciously. “Oh, God….Oliver, she’s been shot!”

Oliver immediately turned and came to her. He looked at bleeding red graze mark. “Oh, Baby……”

“This hurts worse than what you said it would,” she told him.

He laughed softly. “Let me see.”

She raised her arm and he inspected the wound. He sighed. “Thank God….it’s just a graze.” He released a relieved sigh. He kissed her forehead. “Dig, get the first aid kit, please.”

He nodded and took off for the first aid kit. Oliver pulled out a clean cloth. He dabbed at the blood and cleaned it off. Then he took an alcohol pad and looked into her blue eyes. “This is going to hurt, baby. I’m so sorry.”

She nodded. “I know, daddy. Just hurry.”

He touched the wound quickly and then threw the pad down on the table. He placed a piece of square gauze on it and then taped it up. He gave her a couple pills and smiled. “For the pain.”

She popped them dry and looked at her father. “Let me get changed and we’ll go upstairs.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

* * *

 

Once upstairs, Alexa watched as Roy and Thea were reunited.

And right where she stood her heart shattered.

Roy looked up from hugging Thea and pulled back. He walked over to Alexa and pulled her into a hug. “God! I missed you.”

She held on as he hugged her, hugging him back. “Missed you too. Good to see that the psycho didn’t kill you.”

He looked into her face. “You’re mad at me.”

“Of course I’m mad at you, Roy! What did you expect?!” She exhaled. “God!”

“I already told you if things could be diff—”

“This has nothing to do with the fact that I have a crush on you!”

“Then what?”

“It’s the fact that I feel betrayed. You were my sounding board when it came to everything going on at home and that included my Aunt Thea. I don’t care if you date, Roy. I knew it would happen at some point actually. What I cared about is the fact that now I feel like I can’t trust you because I don’t know what you’d go back and tell my aunt. Plus, I thought with everything I told you you wouldn’t date my aunt for God’s sakes.”

“I’m so sorry, Sasha. I’m sorry. I didn’t expect it to happen.”

“I know you didn’t, but it still doesn’t stop the feeling.” She exhaled as she looked at Thea. “Oh, and you may want to ask your girlfriend why she feels threatened by a twelve year old?”

“What do you mean?”

She proceeded to tell him everything Thea had said. She nodded. “Yep. I can honestly say that in seven months I have gone in a full circle with my grandmother _**and**_ Thea. I am still the crap at the bottom of their shoe.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll talk to her, okay?”

“Don’t bother. It’s not going to do any good.”

“But Sash, I don’t want to lose you.”

“And I don’t want to lose you either, but I’m not sure your girlfriend’s gonna let you have her and your best friend.” She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I’m sorry, Roy.”

He watched her walk away. “Damn it!” He walked back to Thea, who had just come back from the bathroom. “Hey.”

“Hey! I’m ready for a proper reunion.”

“Yeah, I wish I was,” he muttered.

She dropped her arms and looked at him curiously. “What’s wrong?”

“Let me guess, you want to be the only girl in my life?”

“Uh….I have no idea—”

“Sasha!”

“Who?”

“Your niece, Thea.”

“Oh. She’s just a kid, Roy. She’ll get—”

“She’s not just a kid! She’s my friend. I care about her, and being that she’s family I thought you would too!”

She scoffed. “You seriously care about a twelve year old little girl?”

He scoffed. “She’s a helluva lot more mature then other members of your family.” He started walking away.

“Roy, wait—”

“You had no right, Thea! No right! I am allowed to have friends of the opposite sex. In fact, I do have friends who are girls. Good friends and I’ll be damned if I let you push them out.”

“That’s fine. I’ll just tell my brother that his daughter is hanging out in the Glades.”

“He knows!” he yelled more over the music than at her. “God! Do you really think your niece is that much of an idiot or a little kid that she wouldn’t have told your brother about me and where I live?”

“I just thought you were a secret—”

“Nope. He knows everything and because he trusts her he allowed it.” He looked into Thea’s eyes. “Wish I could say the same for you.”


	21. Unfinished Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The notorious drug known as Vertigo is back. Is the count too? Plus, Alexa revisits the Glades with enjoyable results. But can she ever forgive Roy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know for some Alexa's attitude and the way she talks to people in general may not sound like something a 12-year-old would ever do or say, but I borrowed from all my shows with child prodigies--from Batman's Robin--who was a child superhero--to Doogie Houser, who was a sixteen year old medical doctor. Please, remember, Alexa's a 11-12 year old girl who thinks like a 14-year-old teenager.
> 
> I know she may not seem like everyone's cup of tea, but I'm really enjoying writing her and I hope you enjoy reading her. The next installment of the series I'm hoping you all will enjoy where she's going.

Thea took a hold of Roy’s hand as they walked through the Glades’ streets. They got to Roy’s street and he smiled as he heard the upbeat dance music playing. As they got closer to Roy’s house, there was a group of dancers dancing to the music they heard as they came down the street.

Roy watched as Thea got invited into the group to dance with them and she hugged up close to him. He shook his head. “Not today, man. Thanks anyway, Marcus.”

“Hey, Harper!”

He turned, smiled. “Yeah?”

“Where’s that midget of a girl you’ve always been hanging out with?” He looked at Thea and then at Roy. “She was fun.”

“And she was underage,” Thea told him.

Marcus looked into Thea’s eyes. “I know she was. Thank you.”

Roy rolled his eyes and pulled her along. Once they got inside he took his sweatshirt off. “What is wrong with you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you gotta remind everyone who likes Sasha that she’s underage?”

“Because she is and everyone seems to be so in love with her.”

He scoffed, rolling his eyes again. “That’s because your niece attempted to get to know people when she was here. And by the way, Marcus was one of her favorite people.”

* * *

 

In the coming days, Alexa was starting to feel better. She and Roy have spoken through texts on and off, but nothing major. Now, she was taking in her daily run, which always took her through the Glades. She heard the music on Roy’s street and pulled her earbuds from her ears to listen. She started heading for the group of guys as they started dancing to one of Katy Perry’s hits. This one was a duet she did with Snoop Dogg.

Marcus felt pressure on his shoulders and then seen Alexa landed in front of him. He laughed and wrapped his arms around her. She backed out of his arms and started dancing with him.

One of Roy’s friends, Jeremy jogged up to Roy’s door and knocked. He opened it. “Hey, Harper, your girl’s out here.”

“Actually, I’m right here,” Thea told him.

“I meant the other one.”

Roy’s eyes widened in surprise. “Sasha’s here?”

He nodded. Roy smiled, grabbed his hoodie and walked out with his friend. Roy stopped in the circle and watched her dance. When that one ended the next one picked up. This one was a hit for Cher Lloyd. He laughed when she jumped right in front of him and pulled him into the circle.

She started moving her feet in a kind of dance move Thea’s only seen professionals use and Roy fell right into step with her. She looked at Marcus. “I had no idea she could hip-hop dance.”

Marcus nodded. “She can do more than that.” He looked at Thea. “She’s the only one I’ve ever known to get him to dance out here with us.”

Thea watched as Alexa finished out the song with what was apparently a signature move for them. She watched as her niece used Roy’s back as a wall and ran up and then did a backflip, landing perfectly just as the song ended.

The crowd of dancers hooped and hollered with excitement. Marcus then spun her in his direction and they started dancing to Troublemaker by Olly Murs. At the end of the song, Alexa walked over to her water and took a big swig. When she finished she sat it down on the ground, just as Avril Lavigne’s Girlfriend started pumping out.

“Girl, do it!” Jeremy said, smiling.

“Do what?” Thea asked looking up at Roy.

“Watch.”

Thea watched as she did four cartwheels, 3 backflips, ending in a big, high backflip that she landed perfectly. “LEXY!”

She turned and smiled at a little girl that was about 5 years old. Alexa ran to the little girl and hugged her tight. “Mmm. Hi, Tessa! How are you?”

“Good. Where have you been?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Sweetie, but I’ve been really busy. It’s the end of the school year and I know my dad said something about a vacation, so…..”

“Aww, so I won’t see you for the summer?”

She smiled and kissed her forehead. “I’ll definitely be around for the summer. You still gotta teach me that tumbling move for my birthday, remember?”

She nodded.

“Tessa!”

Alexa smiled. “Go back to your mommy, okay?” She sat her down on the ground and walked back to the group. She looked at the time on her iPod and looked at everyone. “I gotta go. Promised my dad I’d meet him at the club.” She waved at Roy and took off toward Verdant.

Roy caught up to her. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she said.

“What do I have to do to get into your good graces again?”

She turned and started walking backwards, while facing him. “What do you mean?”

“I want my friend back. So, what do I have to do to regain your trust?”

She stopped. “I don’t know, Roy. I mean, it’s like my aunt keeps reminding me and everyone—I’m underage. Why does my friendship mean so much to you?”

“Because I care about you. And as much as this will make me sound like a pedophile again, I like hanging out with you. You remind me to have fun.”

She exhaled. “Okay. Don’t make any plans for next Saturday and we’ll do something.”

“That’s it?”

She nodded. “That’s it.” She sighed. “I miss you too, but I have to be able to trust that if I vent to you because my aunt’s being a spoiled brat, yet again that you’ll keep it between us.”

He nodded. “Okay. It’s a date. See you then.”

“See you then.”

* * *

 

Alexa walked into the Hideout and immediately apologized for being late to training. “Sorry! I was running through and I saw a couple of friends of mine, when Roy and I would hang out.” She cleared her throat. “So, what are we going to do?”

“Connect your Bo, Sweetheart.”

She did as he asked and connected her batons into a Bo. She smiled. “Now, attack?”

He smiled and nodded. She took her stance and started.

They were in their groove when Dig walked in. He watched them for a few minutes and was actually impressed. The girl was keeping up with him and even got some really good shots in as they continued. Then there was the last shot before the whole thing ended. It was a face shot, Oliver swung and connected with her temple. Alexa stumbled away and winced.

“Ooh! Baby, I’m so sorry!”

She stomped her foot. “Dang! That hurts.”

“Baby, I’m so sorry,” Oliver said coming to her. He inspected it and kissed it. “I’m so sorry.”

She smiled and kissed his chin. “Stop apologizing or I’ll break your leg.”

He chuckled. “Okay.”

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Diggle asked. “This got something to do with the glyph in your father’s notebook?”

“Felicity is still working on that,” Oliver told him. “We have another problem.”

“What?” Alexa asked taking a drink of her water.

“ _Starling City is once again at war with the drug known on the streets as Vertigo. It used to be the city's most lethal vice, but the purple and green pill was nowhere to be found for the last 3 months_.”

“Again?” Alexa muttered.

“Over the past few days, the city has been flooded with a new version of Vertigo. More addictive, more unstable. It killed a girl in the club. Just like it almost killed Thea.”

“Ok, what are you think? We should pay the Count a visit?” Diggle asked.

“He was my first visit. Waste of time. He's...sumasshedshiy.”

“And for those of us who don’t speak Russian, daddy?”

He laughed. “Sorry, baby.” He demonstrated with the twirl of his finger indicating that the Count was now crazy, which left him out of the list of suspects.

“Okay. I get it,” she said smiling. “You look cute doing that by the way,” she teased.

He laughed. “Thanks.”

“Since he was the only one that knew the formula for Vertigo, I don't... I don't even know where to begin.”

Felicity rushed in as she was saying, “Good, you're here. Of course, you're here. Where else would you be? You clearly love it down here.”

Alexa laughed. “Hey, Fe!”

“Hi, Sweetie.” She looked from Alexa to Oliver. “You got to see this.” She brought it up on screen and it was a newscast.

“ _I'm here at the scene where police say a disturbed patient escaped only hours ago. Authorities issued an immediate lockdown at the Starling County Institute for Mental Health following the breakout. Police are warning people to avoid contact with the drug dealer known as the Count_.”

“Not so crazy after all, huh?”

Oliver was seething with anger and walked over to one of the other tables and flipped it. Alexa jerked slightly and then looked at Felicity. She squeezed her fingers. “Nice, daddy, you’re cleaning that up you know.”

“Not now—”

“I’m obviously not the one that needs a time out.” She exhaled. “I have an idea on how we can track where the Count is, but you might not like it.”

Oliver looked at her curiously. “Why not?”

“Because it involves one of us buying some Vertigo first.”

He turned and looked at her. Felicity told him to encourage her involvement so, he was going to do just that. “What’s the plan?”

She recited the plan to them and Oliver smiled. “Yep, my original assessment of you was correct, Sweetheart.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re too damn good for this job.”

She laughed. “Does that mean we’re going to try it?”

He nodded. “We are.”

“So which one of us is going to be the buyer?”

“I’ll do it,” Felicity volunteered.

Alexa shook her head. “No. They’ll get too suspicious.” She fell silent for a moment and then turned to Oliver or Dig. “It’s up to you two. I’m too young. They won’t sell to me.”

“Curiosity before we begin, how do you know this?” Diggle asked.

She smirked. “I did hang out in the Glades for most the school year and some of the people I met before Roy got all big brotherly……” her words trailed when she realized what she’d said. That was it. She was the one that misconstrued their relationship.

“Baby?”

“Oh! Sorry! Um, before Roy got all big brotherly and wanted to protect me I met a couple of drug dealers that work down there and I observed how it all works.” She held up a hand to the adults. “Don’t. Roy already said it. I promise you, Roy wouldn’t have let anything happen to me.”

* * *

 

A little while later and Diggle came back with the Vertigo he bought. Alexa picked it up and inspected it. “You know, besides it being two of my favorite colors I don’t see the appeal.”

Oliver laughed softly and took the bag from her. “Good. Remember that when you’re supposed to be a rebellious teenager.”

She smirked and leaned back on her hands on the table. “What makes you think I’ll be a rebellious teenager, daddy?”

“Because you’re a Queen, it’s in your DNA.”

She smiled. “I may surprise you, you know.”

“You surprise me every day, Sweetheart.”

“Good. I like surprising people.”

“But you can stop growing up so fast, you know.”

“I’ll try, but once it starts there’s really nothing I can do about it.” She tapped her temple. “Especially with this brain. If the counselor and my IQ tests are correct with me thinking like a teenager, by the time I’m sixteen I’ll be thinking like a full-fledged adult, so….”

He looked at Dig and Felicity. “That’s her very subtle way of telling me that it’s not going to happen.” He looked at Felicity. “How will we know when the tracker is active?”

“It already is. I'm getting a good signal off the monofilament strips we placed in the bills.”

“Drug money's like a pigeon-- it always finds its way home.”

“Devin says the same thing.”

Dig smiled. “One of the guys you met in the Glades?”

She nodded. “If you forget about the fact that he makes about five thousand a die selling to rich kids with money to burn on stuff they shouldn’t be putting in your body he’s actually a very cool guy.”

Oliver smiled. “We should be able to follow the money all the way back to the Count. Keep tracking it.” He looked at Alexa. “Come on, Sweetheart. We have work to do.”

* * *

 

They waited for Felicity to call. She sent coordinates of where the buyer was and they got onto their bikes and headed there. Once at the location, they watched the buys go down and when the dealer was about to hand over a brick of pills to a homeless buyer, Oliver shot the brick with an arrow, scattering the pills everywhere.

Alexa jumped down doing a flip before she landed. Standing on the semi-truck trailer, she took her batons out and held them. Then, pressed down and they started screaming. Oliver continued down to the ground and started firing arrows to stop the ones that the screeching didn’t seem to bother. She stopped it and hopped down, and dove to the ground when one of the cars started firing at them.

They go back to the Hideout and Alexa put her batons on the chargers. She whipped the mask off her face. “The only thing I hate about doing this is the fact that people shoot at us.”

“Sorry, Sweetheart.”

“I know. I also knew the risks when I insisted on joining you out there.”

“Hey, Oliver, Lexy, come here.”

“ _All units, all units, code 99. 417 in progress, Starling Aquarium. All available units_ —”

“This just came over the police frequency,” Felicity told them. “I hacked the aquarium security system to get a better look.”

They watched the security footage. “Bystanders said they saw him pop some green and purple pills...”

Oliver walked over to his trunk and pulled out the bag that has the medicinal herbs he used on the island and for other things stateside. He starts mixing it up in a drink.

“There's a lunatic high on Vertigo who's taking hostages, and you're making—making tea.”

“They're medicinal herbs from the island. They counter balance the effects of certain drugs and poisons. They should counteract the effects of Vertigo.”

“And you aren't going to—”

“What?”

“You know...”

Alexa shook her head. “Daddy wouldn’t do that to people who the City has failed.”

“She’s right,” Oliver told her. “My sister got high on this garbage and could have killed someone.”

They go to the aquarium to release the hostages and to possibly help the guy coming down from his high. However, after everything, the homeless guy died anyway. Oliver looked at Alexa and shook his head. She bowed her own head and then stood.

On the way back to the Hideout, Alexa’s cell phone rang. She answered through her Bluetooth in her helmet. “Yeah?”

“Hey, Sweetheart. I tried calling your dad but he didn’t answer.”

“He’s okay, Uncle Tommy. Everything all right?”

“Yeah, um….Detective Lance is determined to either lock me up or Oliver and he’s probably getting a search warrant as we speak.”

She froze for a moment as she drove. “Okay. I’ll let daddy know and we’ll get the secret cleared out or at least hidden.”

He smiled. “Good. Love you.”

“Love you too, Uncle Tommy. Bye.”

They got back to the club and took the alley entrance inside. “Hey, dad.”

He turned. “You mad?”

“No, in a hurry. Sorry. Um…Uncle Tommy called while we were on our way back and he told me that Detective Lance is determined and he’s getting a search warrant for the club that will most likely include our little secret hiding spot.”

He nodded. “All right. We’ll get it taken care of. Come on.”

They got inside and looked at Alexa. “Get changed. We’re going upstairs and coming back in like we just got here. Go.”

She nodded. “After Detective Lance finds the over stock um…I gotta get home. I have a HUGE science test in the morning.”

He nodded. “I know. I remembered you saying something about that. Um….I’ll have Diggle bring you home if we ever find him.”

* * *

 

A few minutes later, they were both heading up, to go out and show up again. As they walked upstairs she noticed that Oliver had hidden their base pretty well with the stock. As soon as they walked in, Lance and a band of cops came in. He gave Laurel the warrant.

“Detective, I’m not an attorney but on what grounds do you have to search my club?”

He tells him the grounds is because Tommy bribed a city official from finding out that he’s selling Vertigo. Alexa looked at the Detective, “I know I may be only twelve but isn’t that kind of a stretch, Detective? I mean, just because you don’t like either of them and they have a history of it doesn’t mean that people can’t change.” She lifted a brow at him. “I’ve heard it happening before. My mother did. She went from a teenage party girl to a mother in about a year.”

Lance approached Alexa. “Queens don’t change their spots and I’m guessing that Merlyns don’t either.”

“Oh, I’ll try to not get offended by that assessment, Detective.” He gave her a dubious look. She put her hands on her hips. “I’m a Queen and I’m proud of it. Always have been, always will be. And just because my father used to be the Billionaire Party Playboy doesn’t mean that he is now.”

“Really? What would have changed?”

“Me,” she stated simply. “Ask anyone who knew him then and they’ll tell you that he’s changed.” She looked over her shoulder at Tommy. “They both have.”

“Lexy,” Oliver said and tilted his head in a come hither type of way. “Can we hurry this up. I have to get my daughter home. She’s had a packed schedule today of school and extra classes.”

“Fine,” Lance said. “We’ll start downstairs. I have a feeling we’ll find exactly what we need down there.”

Lance found exactly what was supposed to be in the basement. Extra supplies. He left, but not without stopping next to Oliver. “Oh, and Queen?”

Oliver looked at him.

“If I were you I’d put a leash on that girl before history repeats itself.”

He did one swift nod. “Dully noted, Detective. However, if I need parenting advice on how to be a father to my daughter I’ll let you know.” He turned to face him. “Good night.”

* * *

 

After Oliver and Diggle’s argument about Deadshot, he looked at him calmly and asked, “Will you please take Lexy home? She has a test tomorrow.”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“Thank you.”

* * *

 

Felicity showed up at Oliver’s request and they discovered the man at the Aquarium had an anti-psychotic in his system and died from an allergic reaction from it, Veronica Sparks also had it in her system. They then figured that the Count never left the facility. He leaves the hideout to go find him.

Meanwhile, while Felicity waited, she was beginning to get really nervous. She called Dig and Alexa in. Alexa answered after the fifth ring, “Hello?” she said groggily.

“Hey, Sweetie, it’s me.”

“Hey, Fe. What’s up?”

“Um….you dad may need help.”

“Where is he?”

“The Mental Hospital where the Count is.”

Alexa bolted upright. “What?”

Felicity explained the whole thing and Alexa kicked the covers off. “I’ll be right there.”

Dig and Alexa got to the Hideout and they got into the car and sped off for the Hospital. They got to Oliver just before the Orderly could hit him in the head. Alexa slid into the room and knocked the large orderly in the back of the knees with her batons. The metal hitting just right to sing. Dig began fighting him. Alexa moved to her father. “Dad!”

“In my quiver is a vial arrow. Grab it. Hurry.”

She found it right on top and then handed it to him. He then stabbed himself in the chest until the liquid was gone inside the vial. He got up and grabbed his quiver and bow. “Let’s go.”

She nodded. “Right behind you.” She looked at Diggle. “Dig, you good?”

“Yeah, go.”

She took off running next to her father. They found the doctor and he taunted them about how bad Oliver felt and that he couldn’t fire an arrow. Alexa looked at her father. “Dad?” she whispered.

He nodded. “I got this.” He pulled out 3 arrows and aimed at the doctor. One went in his chest, killing him instantly.

Afterwards, Dig took Alexa home and she went straight to bed. He went back to the Hideout, and he and Oliver plotted how to finally take Deadshot out.


	22. Home Invasion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurel needs help protecting a little boy. Oliver discovers that his little girl can handle things on her own. And Roy and Thea decide to find out who the Hood and his partner is. Will Roy discover her secret?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a short one. Sorry.

Alexa stepped out of the shower and into her bathrobe as the news played in the background. She heard about witnesses for Laurel’s case being killed and that another attempt had been made on their 8-year-old son, Taylor’s life. She walked into her closet, quickly changed into a pair of jeans and t-shirt and walked across the hall to her dad’s room.

She knocked. “Daddy.”

“Just a minute, baby.”

She waited and then a few minutes later the door opened. She smiled up at him. “Can I stay home and help you with Laurel and Uncle Tommy and Taylor?”

“What makes you think that they’ll be coming here?”

“Because Uncle Tommy’s smart. He knows you’re the only one who can protect them and there’s a child involved. He’ll do it.”

As if she could predict the future, just as she said, the police asked the Queens if it’d be okay if they put Tommy, Laurel and Taylor in protective custody there. Moira granted the request, so when they showed up, Diggle assured them that everything was secure and that they’d be safe there. Moira took Taylor into the kitchen for some cookies.

Diggle looked at Oliver. “Mr. Queen, whenever you're ready, I can take you to your next appointment, sir.” Oliver looked at him a little confused. “The Lawton meeting?”

“Yes. I just need to swing by the club and pick up my good suit. So, I'll meet you there.”

“Of course, sir.”

“You're leaving?” Tommy asked.

“There's something else I need to take care of. It's important.”

“More important than what's going on here?” Tommy asked, kind of accusatory.

“No offense to Oliver, but I think we need Mr. Robbins and his men more than him,” Laurel told him.

Tommy cleared his throat and then stepped closer to Oliver, to whisper, “You are the reason why we're here, and trust me, that wasn't easy to admit.”

“You'll be fine. I promise.” He looked over his shoulder at Alexa. “Lexy will be here and trust me even at her age she is more than capable of taking care of you guys.” He smiled at his friend. “If you need anything, Lexy’s going to be here the entire time. Go ahead and ask her, she’ll give you whatever you need.” He looked at Lexy and smiled. “You’re in charge until I get back, Sweetheart.”

She nodded. “Even though I don’t think the men or grandma will take that well.”

“You’re going to leave your eleven year old daughter in charge?” Tommy asked.

He smiled. “Trust me. She’s more than capable. Call me if you need anything. Love you.”

“Love you too, daddy.” She smiled at Tommy. “How have you been?”

“Fine,” he snapped.

She nodded. “Okay. And we’re back to 2 years ago.” She exhaled. “Nice to see that even when you’re mad at dad I’m on your hate list too. Thanks.” She walked off.

“Lex, wait—”

“Nope. It’s cool Uncle Tommy.” She started for the living room and smiled at Taylor as he munched on his cookie. “Hey. Chocolate chip?”

He nodded. She smiled. “Raisa does make the best chocolate chip cookies.” She knelt down in front of him. “Wanna come with me and hang out?”

He looked at Tommy for a second, Tommy nodded and Taylor nodded to Alexa. She stood and took Taylor’s hand. They walked into the living room and Alexa flipped the television on. She quickly turned on the DVD she put in. “Ever see the Incredibles?”

He nodded vigorously. “Yes! That’s my favorite movie!”

She smiled. “Mine too. I like Dash and Jack-Jack. How about you?”

He smiled. “Dash. Definitely Dash.”

She gave a dramatic eye roll. “Finally! My dad likes Mr. Incredible. Can you believe that?”

He shrugged. “He’s okay, I guess.”

She got comfortable next to him and pressed play on the movie. Tommy stood in the archway and watched Alexa with Taylor. He walked up behind her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He kissed her temple. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “You’re an amazing girl, you know that?”

She smiled and he kissed her temple again. She hugged his arm. “Love you, Uncle Tommy.”

“He’s your uncle?” Taylor asked.

“No, not really,” Alexa said. “He’s my dad’s best friend and he’s my Godfather. So, he’s my uncle.”

He nodded. “Cool.”

* * *

 

After the movie, Alexa looked over at the boy and he looked sad. “Hey. Missing them?”

He nodded. She got off the couch and sat on the end of the coffee table. “I promise, Taylor, that you’ll be okay, all right?”

“How can you be so sure?”

She smiled. “Because I was and I was younger than you when my mom died in a plane crash.”

“How old?”

“Um…..six.” She watched him hang his head and get sad again. “Hey, you wanna know what a really good friend does for me when I’m feeling sad?”

He looked up at her and she smiled. She walked to the CD player and put a dance mix disk in. Iggy Pop’s Wild One pumped from the surround system and she walked over to Taylor. She took his hands and pulled him up with her. She began to move and making him move by moving his arms with her.

Laurel exchanged a look with Tommy when they both heard laughing and giggling. They walked into the living room just as Wild One finished and Good Time by Owl City started. Laurel laughed softly as she watched Taylor actually laughing, smiling and dancing around happy like a kid his age should.

When the song ended Taylor and Alexa both crashed to the couch, laughing and breathing heavily. Laurel smiled at Tommy. “That Goddaughter of yours is amazing, Merlyn.”

He smiled. “Don’t I know it.”

* * *

 

With Taylor in bed and the house now quiet, Alexa did a sweep, without it looking like a sweep. She found Laurel sitting in the sitting room looking at old photo albums. “Hi.”

Laurel looked up. “Hi. Thank you for today.”

She shook her head. “Don’t mention it. I had a lot of fun. Once he opens up he’s a pretty cool kid.”

Laurel smiled. “You’re a pretty cool kid.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Laurel faced her. “How old was your dad when you were born?”

“Mom and dad were both sixteen,” she answered honestly. “And from what mom tells me—or said in her journals anyway—they lost their virginities to each other.” She smiled. “Don’t worry, Laurel, daddy didn’t cheat on you this time. Not with mom.”

“Who’s your mom?”

“Janine Bradford.”

“As in Lawrence Bradford? International Real Estate?”

She nodded. “I guess so, yeah. Why?”

“Wow…..” Laurel said shocked. “I knew the Queens flew in some influential circles but the Bradfords. Wow…..”

She shrugged. “I guess so.”

“You’ve got quite the legacy to live up to.”

She shook her head. “Not really no. At least I don’t see it that way.”

“What do you mean?”

“Being rich and influential isn’t the legacy I want to have. Being a good person and doing good things is the type of legacy I want to leave my kids—if I ever have any.”

Laurel laughed. “You’ll have kids, Alexa. You’re a very beautiful young girl.”

She smiled. “Thank you.” She yawned. “I think I’ll head up to bed. I gotta go to school tomorrow.”

Laurel nodded. “Good night, Alexa.”

She smiled. “Good night, Laurel.” She started out of the room but stopped. “Laurel.”

“Yes?”

“You can call me, ‘Lexy’. Uncle Tommy does. Dig does. Dad always will.”

She smiled. “Thank you. I’m honored.”

She smiled back at her. “You’re one of daddy’s oldest friends. You’ve earned the privilege.”

Laurel laughed. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She headed up to bed.

* * *

 

Oliver came home and informed Laurel that Rasmus has been arrested, so there was nothing to worry about. They decide to stay the night since Taylor’s already asleep. While Laurel and Oliver are talking upstairs, Alexa’s wandering the house. She can’t shake the feeling that something’s gonna happen. She can feel her batons behind her ready to be used when she needs them.

“I have a delivery van pulling up for Miss Lance.”

“Delivery van?” Alexa asked looking at Robbins. “There shouldn’t be any deliveries coming this late at night.”

Robbins opened the door to a delivery guy. They were both shot and Alexa immediately jumped into action. She ran toward him and kicked him with both her feet. Putting him to the floor. She pulled her batons and hit him in the knee. He cried out in pain. She spun out of his reach and touched her Bluetooth. “Dad, we have a problem.”

The electricity went out and Alexa stood, straightened. “Neat trick.”

“You ain’t seen nothing yet.” He pointed the gun at her and she threw one of her batons and it his gun as he fired, which made the bullet go into the wall.

She then started fighting him the way that she was trained to fight. By the time Oliver got downstairs, Alexa was doing very well. Until the guy hit her with the butt of his gun right in the temple, knocking her out cold. Oliver glared at him. “Oh, you’re gonna wish you never touched my little girl.”

They began fighting. During the fight, Oliver grabbed the fireplace poker and killed the man. He then slid across the floor to Alexa. “Lexy!” He rolled her over and touched the side of her head. “Oh, Sweetheart.” He touched her cheek. “Hey, baby, wake up for daddy, please.”

She moaned. He smiled. “Open those beautiful blue eye for me.”

He had never felt so relieved when he seen her eyes opened. He smiled down at her and said the very thing he had said to her when she was born. “Hey, Beautiful. It’s daddy.”

“Daddy….” She bolted up. “The guy!”

“Is dead,” Oliver reassured him. “He’s dead.” He pulled her into his arms and held her. He kissed her hair. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Me too.”

He rocked her. “You did so well. I’m very proud of you.” He kissed her forehead. “I knew you could take care of yourself.”

That night, Roy and Thea met up. “I know. You think I'm an idiot.”

“I always thought you were an idiot. Now I think you're brain dead.”

Roy chuckled. “Yeah, you're probably right.”

“Look, I don't understand this, Roy. Why is finding the Hood so important to you?”

“I can't stop replaying that night in my head. The night I got kidnapped by that psycho, I just... I thought I was going to die.”

“But you didn't.”

Yeah, because of him….and his partner.”

“You don't owe him anything.”

“You're wrong, I owe him everything.” He sighed. “I owe them both everything. And I can't go back to the way things were, Thea, I can't just go back to being nothing.” He looked at Thea. “You're the one that keeps telling me that I can be better than who I am, and this... This is my chance to be. I can't explain it, but... It feels like my life is connected to his.”

Knowing she couldn’t stop him if she wanted to, she said, “So let's find him.”

He looked at her totally shocked. “I can tell this means the world to you. And you mean the world to me. So let's find him. You and me. Vigilante, here we come.”


	23. The Undertaking of the Glades

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team finally find Walter and rescue him. They also discover what the Undertaking is and Oliver gets taken by Malcolm Merlyn himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, guys. 2 more chapters of this story and then I start on the second installment.

Alexa walked through the doors of Verdant after school and went downstairs. She walked into the Hideout and greeted Felicity. “Hey.”

Felicity spun around. “Hey! How was school?”

“Boring!” she exclaimed. “I hate the last two months of school.”

Felicity laughed. “I did too.” She typed away at her computer.

Alexa dropped her bag at one of the tables on the end and pushed a chair up to the desk Felicity sat at. “What are we doing?”

“Well, your dad took down Backman last night and along the way of returning the money he and his clients stole we may have found the person or persons involved in Walter’s kidnapping.”

She gasped. “Are you serious?!”

“Yeah. Your dad’s even letting me go into the guy that had the two-million transferred casino.”

“He’s letting you, really?”

She shrugged. “Well, I actually convinced him to let me.”

She laughed. “That’s what I thought.” She looked at Felicity. “You should….I don’t know show him how you feel.”

Felicity sighed. “I can’t. I feel like an idiot around him most of the time and when I do I say something stupid.”

Alexa nodded. “Me too. So, last night, I had dinner with Thea and Roy.”

She spun her chair and looked at the girl. “And how was it?”

“Awkward,” she admitted. “At least for me. When it’s just me and Roy it’s like too old friends hanging out. When Aunt Thea’s along I totally feel like a 3rd wheel.”

Felicity nodded as she went back to typing. “That’s because you are a third wheel. You’re sitting across from them as they become all lovey-dovey and disgusting. And you’ve got to pretend like your heart’s not being ripped out by the sight of it.”

Alexa glanced at her, perplexed. “Were you there with me?”

She laughed. “No, but I know how you feel. I’ve been there many times.”

Alexa sighed. “Do you think it will ever work itself out?”

She shrugged. “Only if your feelings for Roy shift I would think.”

She sighed. “Want my help?”

“Sure. Help me hack.”

“What am I hacking.”

Felicity typed it in for her.

She nodded. “Okay.”

The two of them got down business on hacking.

* * *

 

Later that night, Oliver and Alexa waited in the shadows as Felicity went inside the underground casino that belonged to Dominic Alonzo. Felicity got in thanks to Oliver and Alexa eavesdropping on what the password was. “What do you see?”

“6 armed guards, 2 pit bosses, and a floor man. No slot machines. How do you call yourself a casino without any Lucky 7s?”

“Stay focused, please. I'll be with you the entire time.”

“Thanks.” She sighed.

“Oh, Fe, don’t say it,” Alexa whispered, already knowing where Felicity’s no filtered awkwardness was going to go.

“It feels really good having you inside me.”

“And it happened,” Alexa muttered.

“And by "you," I mean your voice. And by "me," I mean my ear. I'm gonna stop talking right now.”

“That would be my preference.”

“One stack of High Society, please.”

* * *

 

It went according to their plan and Felicity did get kicked out for cheating. Only thing was is that Alonzo found her earpiece that she used to communicate with Oliver and Alexa. Alonzo stomped on it and Oliver and Alexa jumped into action.

They start taking out the men and then seeing a space where she could stand without bullets flying at her, Alexa looked at her dad. “Go get Fe. I got this.”

He stared at her for a few seconds then nodded. He took off and then she stood, waited for her dad to be out of earshot—for the most part—then activated her own birdcall. Once the shooters had stopped, she left.

Oliver got information out of Alonzo and then grabbed Felicity. “What about Lexy?”

“She’s gonna meet us outside. I promise.”

They got outside and Felicity looked around. “Lexy?!”

“Relax, Fe. I’m here.” She came out of the shadows and they disappeared. “What did Alonzo say about where grandpa was?”

“Uh…..” Oliver looked at her through the mirror and then looked at Felicity. “He, um….said, uh….”

Knowing all too well the look in her father’s eyes meant bad news her eyes instantly swam with tears. “No! He’s dead?!”

Neither adult said anything. Oliver dropped Felicity off and then drove Alexa home. All the way back home, she was sobbing. He got her inside, upstairs and in bed. He locked her door when he walked out and headed downstairs to tell Moira and Thea.

* * *

 

Oliver sat perched outside as Moira went to confront Malcolm about Walter’s supposed death. He listened and everything that Alexa, Dig and the audio recordings said was confirmed. His mother a part of the undertaking that would happen in the Glades.

And she knew all along that Walter had been kidnapped and by whom.

Felicity showed up to the Hideout and flipped on the lights to see Oliver sitting in the dark. “Yeah, I was sitting in the dark too.”

“Call Lexy. Walter’s still alive.”

“Wha—what?”

“I need you to pull up Malcolm Merlyn's phone records. He made a call from his office to wherever Walter is being kept at 10:30 p.m.”

“Malcolm Merlyn? Tommy's father? Why would he kidnap Walter?”

“Felicity.”

She walked over to her computer, but didn’t do anything until she shot a quick text to Alexa. She began typing and found the information. “L.U.D. showed he made a call to a tenement complex located in Bludhaven.”

“Can you pull up a satellite view?”

“Ok.” She pulled it up on her computer. They saw a lot of heat signatures. “That's a lot of security for low-income housing. There's two guards stationed at all access points.”

“There's just one on the roof.”

“Exactly. There's no other buildings in that area. If you want to get onto the roof, you're going to have to jump off of something.”

“I've got something.”

“You’ve got what?” Alexa asked as she came through the side entrance.

“We’re going to go get your grandpa.”

“Wha—but that guy said—”

“I know, but you and Dig were right. Grandma’s involved. You ready to go save him?”

She nodded. “Let’s go.”

* * *

 

They got to the complex in Bludhaven where Walter was being kept. And Oliver went over the plan with Alexa one more time. She nodded. They parachuted out of the plane and landed on the roof. They get inside and start taking out every man that was protecting Walter. Alexa was the last one to finish and stood. She put her batons back in their holsters on her back and looked at her dad. “Let’s get grandpa.”

He nodded. Oliver went in, disguised his voice and got Walter to wake up. They quickly got him up and back home.

* * *

 

At the hospital, after the reunion and after Oliver and Laurel talk, Alexa looked at her father and said, “I think there’s somewhere else we need to go.”

“Where?”

“Dig’s.”

He sighed.

“Dad, you know he was right. You know I was right. And you know he’s right about your blindness when it comes to Laurel. I’ve seen it and everyone sees it, but you. You chose to go protect Laurel when you know perfectly well that Rasmus wasn’t a problem. You made a promise to Dig and he expected you and I expected you to keep it. And you didn’t. For that, you need to go and apologize. And you need to ask him to rejoin us because, daddy, we need him more than ever especially if whatever grandma and Mr. Merlyn has planned comes fruition.”

She looked into her father’s face and then his eyes. “Please, daddy.”

He nodded. “Okay, baby. I’ll do it.”

They go to Diggle’s apartment and he lets them in. Alexa hugged him. “I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you too, Small Fry.” He kissed her hair.

“I'm sorry. You were right. And I was wrong.”

“About Deadshot?”

Alexa watched as her father apologized.

“About everything. About my mother and about her involvement in the Undertaking. She lied to me. To Thea. She's working with Malcolm Merlyn.” Diggle was a little surprised by that.

“They're planning something. Something... Terrible. I don't know what yet. But I just know one thing. I need your help to stop them.”

The room fell silent for a moment and Alexa spoke. “Please, Dig. Help us.”

* * *

 

Alexa heard her phone buzzing like crazy and walked to her nightstand. She swiped it up and answered, “Hello?”

“Hey, Sash. It’s me.”

“Hey, RJ. What’s up?”

“RJ?”

She shrugged. “Well, you did say your name was Roy Harper, Jr. right?”

“Right. Never mind.” He cleared his throat. “Do you have a camera I can borrow?”

“Uh…sure, but what for?”

“I’m on a search for the Vigilantes.”

“The Vigilantes? You mean the guys that saved you?”

“Yeah. I know one’s a female.”

Her eyes widened in surprised. “H-H-How do you know that?”

“She disguised her voice but I could tell.”

“Okay. Um…..I can meet you at Big Belly Burger in about an hour. Is that okay?”

“Yeah,” he said. “That’s great, thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” She looked at the clock. “Oh, crap! I gotta go. Dropping by BBB will make me for school as it is. Talk later, bye.”

“Bye.”

* * *

 

About an hour later, Alexa walked into Big Belly Burger and looked around. She smiled when she seen Roy at their usual table. She walked to him and put the camera on the table, then kissed his cheek. “I gotta go.”

“Can I call you later?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I wanna know how your investigation’s going so far.” She walked to the door. She waved, and blew him an air kiss. “Bye.”

A few minutes later, after Roy boosted a car, he went and picked up Thea. They went to Unidac Industries and Roy started taking photos. “Where did you even get that camera? Come to think of it, where did you get this car?”

“Well, the camera I borrowed from a friend. The car, I borrowed it. Illegally.”

“You know, when I imagine being in a car with you, this isn't exactly what I had in mind.”

“Yeah, well, you're the one who said you'd help me find the Vigilante.”

“I know, but it's been two weeks, and the closest we've come is snapping photos of the cop who hates the Hood just as much as you worship him.”

Roy almost rolled his eyes. “I don't worship him. I just need to find him.”

“You don't need to find him to be somebody,” she insisted. “Besides, it's not like you're going to meet him any time soon. Seems like the cops don't have a clue.”

Then it dawned on Roy. “We don't know what they know.”

Thea looked at him. “Ok, I officially do not like that look.”

“You still work at CNRI, right?”

* * *

 

Later that night, Alexa got home and walked through the door. “Dad?”

No answer. Not even a peep.

“Daddy?”

She walked into the living room and looked in the other rooms. “Grandmother?”

No answer. She walked further into the living room and found a tiny arrow like the one’s Oliver uses sitting on the floor. She glared and tucked the arrow into her palm. “Dad.” She walked upstairs, dropped her bag off and grabbed her biker jacket, keys and cell phone.

She dialed Felicity’s number. “Fe. It’s me.”

“I know, Sweetie. What’s wrong? You sound freaked.”

“I am freaked.” She exhaled. “The Dark Archer’s got daddy and grandma.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I searched the entire house. Grandpa’s here, but daddy and grandma are gone. And Aunt Thea’s with Roy.” She exhaled. She got onto the bike. “Meet me at Verdant.”

“On the way.”

Alexa hung up her phone, put it into her pocket and put her helmet on.

* * *

 

Felicity walked into the Hideout and stopped Alexa as she began to flip out. “Sweetie! Sweetie, sweetie, sweetie!”

“We gotta find him, Fe!”

“This is all part of the plan!” Felicity yelled.

Alexa spun on her heel and stared at the woman she loved like a mother. “Wha-what?”

“Your dad and Dig came up with it. Dig and Oliver planned the whole thing. They’re gonna try to get information out of her about the Undertaking.”

Alexa sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “Okay. I’m officially gonna punch my father in the nose.” She exhaled. “Why didn’t anyone say anything?”

“You were at school.”

She growled. “I hate that. I shouldn’t be excluded because I have to go to school. It’s either I go to school or daddy goes to jail for truancy.”

“Very true. Next time I will insist they tell you, okay?”

She nodded. “Okay.”

A while later, Oliver and Diggle both came back. Felicity seen how banged up Oliver was and started to panic. “You said you were going to pull your punches!”

“I did.”

Alexa folded her arms in front of her. “Well, now I can’t punch you.”

He chuckled. “Why not?”

“Because you look like you went a few rounds with Tyson and lost,” she told him.

He laughed. “Thank you, Sweetheart.”

She walked to him and pushed at his shoulder. “No more keeping anything from me.” She looked at them both. “Both of you. I mean it. I got home and freaked out. I was about go kill myself by finding the Dark Archer and fighting him, you know.”

Oliver smiled and kissed the top of her head. “I’m so sorry, Sweetheart. Forgive me?”

She hugged him around the torso. “Always.” She looked up at him. “Did grandmother confess to everything?”

“Yeah,” he said softly. He looked at Felicity. “I need you to dig up everything you can on Unidac Industries.”

“Well, we know Queen Consolidated acquired them seven months ago. That's when we met.” She tossed him a smile and Alexa smiled at them. She watched as her father began to talk to Felicity about what he wanted her to find. While Alexa’s mind wandered. How could she get them together quicker?

“Merlyn plans on leveling the Glades with a device that triggers a manmade earthquake.”

“You're kidding.” Felicity said a little surprised.

Alexa stared at them both. “Wha—wha—what? Daddy, please, tell me you’re kidding?”

“I wish, Sweetheart.”

“Oh, God, Roy……”

“What else does it say?”

“More information on the stock auction and, you know, the latest on what the media's calling-- The Unidac massacre.”

“There's no way this timing is a coincidence,” Dig told him.

Felicity moved to another screen. “Oliver, there's a website claiming the police suspect a copycat archer.”

“What?!” Oliver and Alexa said in unison.

“So the other archer works for Merlyn?”

“He's tying up loose ends. Erasing all evidence this device exists so no one can trace the devastation back to him.”

“All right, so you're going to have a pointed conversation with Mr. Merlyn.”

“No he can’t do that,” Alexa said coming to the desk. “If he does have that conversation, it doesn’t mean that the Dark Archer couldn’t still set off the device.” She ran a hand through her hair and sighed heavily. “God, daddy, what if….”

“He’ll be okay, Lex, I promise.”

She cleared her throat as Felicity said, “Well, maybe there's another way to get Merlyn to tell us.” She moved to another computer.

“What do you have in mind?” John asked. “As I keep proving, people keep secrets. Computers don't.”

“Felicity, are you hacking into the Merlyn Global mainframe?” Oliver asked, knowingly.

“"Hacking" is such an ugly word. No. I'm...” her voice trailed off as she looked at Alexa who gave her an upturned brow. She caved. “Yeah, totally hacking into the Merlyn Global mainframe.”

Awhile later, everyone was getting bored and Felicity was getting frustrated. “Anything?” Oliver asked.

“Just for the record, I will pump my fist in the air and scream, "yes!" If I get in.”

“You know, you can just say this isn't working.”

“This isn't working.”

“All right, there has to be some other way we can find out where he's keeping this device.”

“Unless I can waltz up to Merlyn's mainframe and plug in my tablet directly, there's no way of getting that location.”

Alexa smirked as a plan began to form in her mind. “I think I have an idea, but you might not like it.”

“What?” All 3 of them said in unison.

“Felicity will have to play spy,” she told them.

Catching on almost immediately Oliver said, “We break in.”

“You two are crazy!” Felicity exclaimed. “Crazy!”

“Are you sure?”

Alexa nodded. “Yeah. If everything goes according to plan then you 3 should be able to get in and out like nothing.”

“Us three? You’re not coming?”

She shook her head. “No. I can’t. It’d look really strange if Tommy Merlyn’s Goddaughter was wandering the corridors. And he’d ask me a zillion questions.”

Oliver smiled. “We can do this, Lex. Thanks for the plan.”

She smirked. “Watch enough spy movie you get some ideas.”

* * *

 

While the plan seemed to be going off without a hitch, Oliver got tied up and ended up having to ride down with Merlyn and some other guys. When he was in the lobby he saw Thea.

“Is that your friend Roy?”

“No, um... No? Yeah, he gave me a ride.”

“Thea, what are you really doing here? The truth, please.”

“The truth? Mm-hmm. Um...We're trying to find the Vigilante.”

“What? Roy's been kind of obsessed with him since he saved his life at the subway. And I overheard Detective Lance saying that the other archer was connected to Merlyn Global, so—”

Oliver grabbed her arm and pushed her toward Roy. “Roy. We haven't met. I'm Thea's disapproving older brother.”

“Yeah, I know,” Roy said nervously. He held out his hand. “Good to meet you.”

Oliver took it, held it. “I’m also Alexa’s father.”

Roy looked into his face. “I haven’t….”

“I know. She’d break your hand if you tried.” He looked him in the eyes. “Don't mess around with the Hood. He's a psychopath, he's dangerous, and anyone who gets near him winds up dead. That will not be my sister. Do you hear me?”

Roy nodded. Felicity walked past them. He looked at Thea and then Roy. “Ok. Take her home...now.”

* * *

 

Felicity found the device, and Diggle tells both Oliver and Alexa. Diggle then texts Alexa to meet her father at Merlyn Global. She agrees. She quickly gets dressed and then jumps out her bedroom window.

By the time she gets to her father, he’s gone and so is Merlyn. She taps her Bluetooth. “Dad’s gone.”

“What?” Felicity asked.

“Dad’s gone. Did he tell you if he was coming back?”

“No. He shouldn’t be coming back yet.”

Alexa tapped her earpiece again. “Dig?”

“Yeah?”

“You talk to dad?”

“No. Why?”

“Dang it!” she muttered. She ran to the elevators. “I’ve gotta find a better way to exit buildings than being normal and taking the elevator.”

He chuckled. “Okay. We’ll tell your dad to redo your arsenal. Where’s your dad?”

“I don’t know. He’s not at Merlyn. Just a sec. I’m gonna call him.” She tapped her Bluetooth again. “Dad?”

No answer.

“Dad?”

She exhaled. “Daddy?”

She tapped her Bluetooth twice. “Okay. Dad’s not answering. That’s not like him. He always answers, Dig.”

“Okay. Get back to the Hideout. We’ll figure this out.”

 


	24. Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the Undertaking in full swing, Alexa proves just what kind of hero she is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said, two, but after looking at my notes it's only one with a cliffhanger. I hope you all have enjoyed this story as much as I have with writing it. And I hope that you all come back for the second installment.

Oliver came to with water splashed in his face. Disorientated, he looked around to see if something looked familiar, but nothing did. He looked up and saw that he was chained to the ceiling by his wrists.

“I hope I didn't hurt you. At least I can properly thank you now for saving my life. If I only knew how you were spending your nights... My hope is that I can explain everything to you to help you understand.”

“You murdered my father! You sentenced me to that island, to five years of hell!” He yelled at him indignantly.

“I am truly sorry for what happened to you. You know I have lost people.”

“Yeah, your wife. Do you really think that you're honoring Tommy's mother by destroying the Glades?”

“As surely as you believe you're honoring your father with this hood. Not a day goes by I don't miss your father.”

“You'll see him soon.”

“You can't beat me, Oliver. Yes, you're younger. You're faster, but you always seem to come up short against me. Want to know why? Because you don't know, in your heart, what you're fighting for. What you're willing to sacrifice, and I do. No one can stop what's about to come. Not even the Vigilante.”

* * *

 

Alexa, still in her jumpsuit, sat on one of the far back tables and ran her hands through her hair and sighed. She was waiting for word from Diggle that he found her father. Dig had pleaded with her to let him go in alone. And she promised, but the entire time she’d been freaking out about it.

“Please, please, please. We have to find him. We have to.” She sniffled as she hopped off the table and began to pace. “I can’t lose him too, Fe. I can’t.”

Felicity held out a hand to her and Alexa took it. She wrapped her arms around Felicity’s shoulders and started to sob. She comforted the little girl as she smoothed out her hair. “Dig’ll find him, Lex. He promised.”

After she comforted her, and she seemed to be fine, Felicity told her she was going to go and get more information off of what they found at Merlyn. Alexa conceded. When Felicity left, Alexa began to pace back and forth, a nervous wreck.

A few hours after Felicity left, Oliver and Diggle came downstairs. Alexa reacted and picked up the gun that she knew her father always kept. She pointed it. Oliver looked up and their eyes met. He rushed to her as she began to cry and took the gun from her. He wrapped his arm around her as he gave the gun to Dig. He held her as she cried again. “I’m okay, Baby. I promise.”

She held on tightly. “I thought I was going to lose you!” she sobbed.

“No, no, no, no, shh…..” he kissed her cheek, her hair and her head. “You’re not going to lose me, baby. I promise.”

After a few minutes, Oliver tells them everything that happened. He grabs the phone used for Lance and tells him the plan. Alexa sighed. “Daddy, what do we do now?”

“Well, we still gotta find the earthquake device and once we do hopefully it’s not too late to stop it.” He looked at his daughter. “And I think I know how to find out.”

“How?”

“Your grandmother.”

* * *

Alexa walked into the mansion after her father and caught up to him on the stairs. “Wait, dad, listen. Grandmother’s been lying this entire time, do you really think that she’s going to tell you the truth now? I mean, come on! She helped Merlyn plan this whole damn thing!”

“I know,” Oliver told her. “And you’re too young to swear,” he told her as he went around her and up the stairs.

She groaned and climbed the stairs after him. “But, dad, I gotta get to Roy. I have to warn him about all this. I have to!”

“Then go,” he told her. “Go warn your friend and if you find Thea, tell her too.”

“Dad.”

He turned around. “I’m not sure I like the fact that you’re so easily calling me dad now. What?”

She sighed. “What if he doesn’t believe me? Can I tell him?”

“Tell him what?”

She walked closer to him, climbing the stairs. “That I’m the other Vigilante that saved his life that day.”

Oliver looked into her eyes. He knew he’d have to trust her. Trust that she trusted him and he knew that she’d do anything to protect the people she cared about. “Do what you have to, Lex.”

She nodded and ran back down the stairs. She grabbed her bike, put her helmet on and revved up the bike. She sped out of the driveway and toward downtown.

* * *

 

Oliver meets up with Dig and Felicity at the Hideout. Felicity looked around. “Where’s Lexy?”

“She’s going to get Roy out of the Glades. Or try to.”

“What?” Dig said. “Oliver, is that—”

“He’s her friend, Dig. She has to try and I believe in her. She knows what she can and cannot handle.”

“Oliver, Felicity may have found something. This symbol is a map of the old subway tunnel system.”

“That's what got us thinking the Undertaking is connected to the Glades.”

“What if it's more specific than that?”

“What do you mean?”

“If I had a machine that could trigger an earthquake in an otherwise geologically stable area, where would I position it?”

“Underground.”

“Yeah. This is a U.S. geological survey of the tectonic plates running underneath Starling City. This red line here is a known fault that runs right below the Glades.”

“About a mile, the fault runs underneath the old Tenth Street subway line,” Dig said as he pointed it out.

“Dollars to donuts, the seismic device is somewhere along there.”

“I know where it is,” Oliver said then his phone buzzed.

* * *

 

Alexa rushed up the stairs and beat on the door. “ROY! ROY! PLEASE!”

He turned and rushed to the door. He opened it. “What are you doing here?”

“I know you’ve probably seen the news. I have to get you out of here. Please!”

“Why would your grandmother do this?”

“I don’t know. She’s under the misguided notion that she was protecting Thea and my dad.” She exhaled. “Please!” she pleaded. She swallowed hard. “Look, I know I’m just a kid and I know that you’re dating my aunt and this whole thing is very complicated, but I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you. Please!”

He looked into her eyes and he could tell that she was worried and determined. “Lead the way, Sasha. But do me a favor?”

“What’s that?”

“Stop calling yourself a kid,” he told her. “You’re the bravest person I know.”

“Well, this brave person is scared out of her mind that a lot of people are going to die tonight.”

Just then they heard the man announcing for evacuation. Roy took Alexa’s hand they walked outside. Alexa looked around. “Oh, my God….we gotta help these people. It’s gonna be absolute chaos if we at least don’t try to attempt to restore it.”

He nodded. “You’re right. Let’s do this.”

They see a group of men carrying another into the alley. He looked at Alexa. “Ready?”

She nodded. “When you are.”

“Hey! Back off!” Roy yelled as they jogged to them.

“Learn how to count, jerkwad. There's three of us.”

“Oh, is that right?”

Alexa took one of the guys and he swung at her, she ducked it and kicked at his knee, knocking him down. She then spun his arm around and snapped it. He cried out in pain. “Go!” She told him. “Before I break the other arm.”

“'Cause I only count one.”

“With a gun.”

Just then a glass bottle sailed through the air and shattered against the man’s head, knocking him out cold. Thea came out from behind a building. Alexa sighed.

“Where did you learn how to do that?”

“I guess I have wicked aim.” She looked at him. “I went by your house.”

“Yeah, Sasha got there before you. Convinced me to leave.” He exhaled. “We really need to talk too.”

“Yeah, I know.” She looked at Alexa. “You okay?”

She nodded. Roy smiled. “She should be. She just broke that guy’s arm.”

“You broke a guy’s arm?”

She nodded. “Kickboxing and Karate, remember?”

Thea nodded. “Right.” She waved them to follow. “Come on. We gotta get out of here.”

Alexa saw bronco. “There! We can hotwire the truck.”

He smiled. “Good thinking, Sash.”

“Thanks,” she said.

He ran over to the bronco and he quickly hotwired it. They jumped in and he quickly raced down the road, holding his phone in his hand. Alexa sighed.

“You do know how dangerous it is to text and drive, right? It can wait!”

“No, it can't. I'm trying to find us another route out of here.”

“Let me. It's not worth the risk,” she told him.

Alexa saw the vehicle. “Roy!”

The tires of the truck squealed as he tried to stop, coming inches from hitting someone. “Roy!”

The man’s banging on the hood, yelling, “Help me out! Help me out! Help me out!”

Alexa and Roy both got out. Alexa saw the bus smashed up against another vehicle and looked at Roy.

“Roy, stop! Roy! The device is about to go off any second.”

“I can’t leave anyone behind.”

After kissing Roy, Thea headed for the bronco. “Come on, Lex.”

“No,” she said firmly.

“My brother would kill me if you didn’t—”

“He knows I’m here!” she told her. “I told him I was going to try and save Roy.” She pointed at the people in the bus. “Those people are going to die if we at least don’t try.”

“What about you?”

“If I die, I die.” She looked at Thea. “The only one who would miss me is daddy, anyway.”

Thea exhaled and got into the truck. She took off. Alexa looked at Roy. “Come on. We gotta try to get those people out of there.”

“Why are you doing this?”

She turned and looked at him. “Wha—what?”

“Why are you risking your life like this?”

She smiled. “Because my parents didn’t raise me to be a heartless spoiled rich girl.” She exhaled. “Besides it’s not in me to be that way.”

“Yeah, but you don’t know these people.”

“Doesn’t matter,” she told him. “They need my help, I’m going to help. Plain and simple.” She ran over to the bus. She looked at the car and the bus. “Okay. We can’t move car out of there and we can’t pry the doors open.”

“So….”

“We break the window,” she said and pulled one of her batons.

Roy stopped cold. Was she the….?

She hopped up on the bus, took her baton by one end and looked at the group of people. “Move back!” she yelled through the glass. “I’m going to break the windshield, but you have to move back, please.”

They all stepped back and she began hitting the baton against the glass. After the forth time it finally shattered. “Roy!”

He ran to her and helped her down. He then looked at some other guys. “Hey, help us get these people out of here.”

They began getting the people out, one by one, in a hurry. Alexa smiled at one of the older people and said, “Go! You have to get out of here. Please.”

After they were out and everyone was okay, Roy took her hand they started running together. She tucked her baton into it’s holster and continued to run alongside of him. “Wait, wait, wait…..”

“What?”

“My mom!” she exclaimed without even realizing she had said.

“Your mom? Sash, you told me your mom died 5 years ago.”

She shook her head, trying to clear it. “No. Not Janine. Felicity.”

“Who’s Felicity?”

She sighed. “The woman who’s been a surrogate mother to me for the last few years.” She exhaled and tapped her Bluetooth. “Fe?”

“Hey, Sweetie,” she said in tears.

“You okay?”

“No!” she exclaimed, sobbing. “Merlyn had a second device. I’m going to—”

“What?!” she exclaimed. “Where are you?”

“Verdant,” she told her.

“Oh, God…..” She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. “Oh, mom….” Her eyes began swimming with tears as she looked at Roy. “I’m coming—”

“No!” Felicity yelled. “Stay wherever you are! Please, Lexy, please!”

“No! What about you?!”

“It’s okay. I knew the risks from the beginning, Sweetie.”

Her voice caught in her throat as she began to cry. “No, mom…..please!”

“Lexy, listen to me, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Knowing you the last few years has been the greatest experience of my life. I had hoped I would experience motherhood, but you know, in a way I know already have. And you’re an amazing little girl, Lexy.”

“No…..” she cried. “Mom, you can’t die. I can’t lose you too. I can’t lose another mom. And that’s what you’ve been to me, a mom.”

She smiled. “Thank you. Thank you for letting me be your mom even when I didn’t know I was.” She sniffled as she protected herself. “I don’t think I’m going to die. The destruction seems to be contained only to Wells Street, but I want you to get out of there, okay?”

“You too, please!”

“Get your friend out of there, Lex and I’ll be waiting for you. I love you.”

She sighed. “I love you too.” She exhaled. “Okay. Sorry.”

He smiled. “It’s okay, Sash. We gotta get out of here. The device is going off.”

“Actually there’s two of them,” she admitted.

“Two of them?”

She nodded. “Malcolm Merlyn wanted to level the Glades. Apparently, he figured two would do it.”

“Damn it!” Roy exclaimed. “Do you think Thea got out?”

“Yeah. We seem to be the only idiots who aren’t. Let’s go.”

* * *

 

Alexa tapped her Bluetooth once they were out of the Glades. “Daddy?”

“Hey, Baby,” he said through his tears, he sniffled. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Did you check on mom—I mean, Felicity?”

He smiled. He was wondering when that would happen. “I was about to. Did Roy make it out?”

“Yeah and Thea. I think she thinks I’m an idiot. But we saved people as we were getting out.”

“That’s great, Baby.”

“Where do you wanna meet?”

“Queen Consolidated. Bring Roy with you. We’ll find Thea and they can get reunited.” He winced when he realized what he said. “Ooh. Baby, I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “No, daddy, it’s okay.” She exhaled. “For now, being just Roy’s close friend is what I am supposed to be, so that’s what I will be.”

He smiled. “Good. See you soon.”

She hung up and looked at Roy. “Come on. We’re going to my family’s company. If it’s still standing anyway. You’ll meet Thea there.”

* * *

 

Once they were clear of the Glades, Roy pulled her into a hug. “Thank you.”

“For what?” she asked as she held on.

He looked into her blue eyes and smiled. “For saving my life….twice.”

“Wha—what?” she asked a little surprised.

He smiled down at her. “You were the other Vigilante. The one that dove on me to protect me from the bullet.”

She knew she couldn’t deny it. The evidence was there. He knew it all. She sighed. “Yes, it’s true. But don’t ask me to tell you who the Hood is, okay?”

“Why?”

“Because like you, he trusts me to keep his secret. And like you, I want to always have that trust. If I tell you who he is—”

“Okay. You don’t have to, but I will find out.”

She laughed. “Yeah. I know. Come on.”

Finally in the clear and at Queen Consolidated, Lexy looked around for her family. She instantly saw her dad and she ran to him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and held on. He hugged her tight. “Mmm….” He said as he hugged her to him. “My reason for living.”

“I love you, daddy.”

“I love you too, Baby.”

He sat her on the ground and she went to Felicity and hugged her. “Mom.”

She wrapped her arms around her shoulders. “Hey, Sweetie. I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Me too.” She seen Laurel and Quentin walking toward them and then Thea. She looked at Roy. “Roy.” She nodded her head to her aunt.

She watched as the couple reunited and she sighed mournfully.

Felicity put her hand on her shoulder. “I promise, Sweetie, it’ll get better.”

She nodded. “I know.”

But she couldn’t help but wonder when. She exhaled again and looked around. “God….daddy, what are we going to do?”


End file.
